At 10:00 on March 21, 2017 local time in Ecuador, the TBM Section of the diversion tunnel of Minas Hydropower Project, Ecuador undertaken by HEI was accurately bored, accumulating valuable experience for the HEI-EPC’d TBM construction management team. The owner and supervisors of the Minas Hydropower Project witnessed the TBM tunneling of the project on site and fully affirmed the technical capacity of HEI.

The TBM tunnel of the Minas Hydropower Project, Ecuador is 10.67 km long, with an excavation diameter of 5.67 m, and the excavation formally began on September 17, 2014. It was the first time for HEI to carry out tunnel excavation with an internationally advanced tunneling method—a “TBM” (tunnel boring machine). During the tunneling, the Minas Hydropower Project Department of HEI worked continuously day and night, exercised control through observation via both GPS control networks and conventional traverse control networking, and frequent manual rechecks of the TBM’s tunneling status. Meanwhile, with close coordination of prefabricated segment production line technology, segment installation and grouting technology, TBM tunneling operation and maintenance at the surface plant and prefabricated segment factory provided a solid guarantee for the successful TBM tunneling. The successful boring of the TBM tunnel opens a new chapter for TBM tunnel excavation management by HEI and also adds a significant “gold key” to the efforts of HEI to open up international high-end EPC markets in future.