The 4.48-meter-diameter shield tunneling machine, “Shuangjing No. 1”, has rolled off the production line in Changsha, central China’s Hunan Province.
The 4.48-meter-diameter shield tunneling machine, “Shuangjing No. 1”, rolls off the production line in Changsha, central China’s Hunan Province. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
This marks the first time a Chinese-made shield tunneling machine is being exported to the Solomon Islands for the construction of the Tina Hydropower Station’s water diversion tunnel.
Jointly developed by China Railway Construction Corporation Limited and Power Construction Corporation of China, the machine’s exterior incorporates design elements inspired by the national flag of the Solomon Islands and two leaping whales.
The Tina Hydropower Station’s tunnel will stretch approximately 3.2 kilometers, passing through gravel and sandstone layers, facing challenges such as long-distance tunneling, crossing fracture zones and high-water-pressure conditions. To address these difficulties, the design team incorporated several innovations to ensure the shield machine’s strong adaptability to complex geological conditions.
The Tina Hydropower Station is the country’s largest hydropower project currently under construction in the Solomon Islands. Once completed, it will meet 68 percent of the power demand for Solomon’s capital Honiara, benefiting over 100,000 people and contributing to the local economic and social development.
(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)
