BAM Civil and Wayss & Freytag have been awarded a contract for the construction of a 4.9km tunnel as part of Ireland’s Corrib gas project.

BAM Civil and Wayss & Freytag Ingenieurbau are both Royal BAM Group operating companies.

The Corrib gas field lies about 80km off the north-west coast of Ireland. The contract for Shell E&P Ireland is a key element of the onshore pipeline works, which is the final phase of the Corrib project that remains to be completed. The scheme has the potential to supply up to 60% of Ireland’s gas needs at peak production.

A tunnel boring machine (TBM) with an internal diameter of 3.5m will be used for the work. Tunnelling is planned to start towards the end of the year and is expected to take about 15 months to complete.

As soon as the tunnel has been constructed and the TBM removed, the 20-inch gas pipeline will be installed in the tunnel. Once the pipeline and services have been installed and tested, the remaining tunnel void will be backfilled with grout. The project is expected to be completed in late 2014.

• Click here to return to the previous page
• Subscribe to our free construction newsletters