In November 2024, Dr.-Ing. Friedrich Krüger turned 80 years old. Anyone who knows him is well aware that, despite this special birthday, he does not like too much noise being made about his person. On...
After his trip to China for the World Tunnel Congress in April 2024 (see tunnel issue 4/2024), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alfred Haack had actually decided not to accept any more invitations from abroad due to...
As part of the STUVA Conference, up to five young engineers are regularly given the opportunity to present their projects or research topics on the big stage in the “Youth Forum” competition and to be...
Whether “Gateway to the World” or “Pearl of the North” – hardly any other city in Germany has as many affectionate nicknames as the old but lively Hanseatic city of Hamburg (Fig. 1). With almost two...
More and more electricity from renewable sources, hydrogen as an alternative energy source, and the expansion of district heating: the energy transition is in full swing worldwide, particularly in industrialized countries. It requires an enormous amount of new underground infrastructure for the generation and transportation of environmentally friendly energy. This also presents new challenges and opportunities for the tunnelling and trenchless construction industries and for manufacturers of mechanized tunnelling technology. The required infrastructure can be built using both tunnelling and trenchless installation methods. Which method offers the optimal solution depends on many factors, such as the intended use, size and location of the project. Using specific examples, this article presents the advantages in the realization of different types of infrastructure for the energy transition.
Pre-grouting and securing the tunnel face or the annular gap grouting of the segmental lining: anyone familiar with these challenges will also be familiar with the search for a safe injection process...
Pumped storage power plants are a technology that has been used for energy storage for over 100 years. In view of the energy transition, they are once again coming into the spotlight as they offer a...
Forbach Pumped Storage Power PlantPorr Tunnelling is carrying out the conversion of the Rudolf Fettweis plant in Forbach (Germany) into a modern pumped storage power plant on behalf of EnBW Energie...
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in Virginia, USA, has been one of the largest structures of its kind since it opened in 1964. Until now, the Thimble Shoal Tunnel has been a bottleneck for motor traffic. Over a distance of around two kilometres, traffic has so far been restricted to two lanes. This is set to end in 2028. A major milestone for the expansion has now been reached: TBM tunnelling for the new parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel was successfully completed at the end of January 2025.
