Niagara Tunnel Project

Niagara Tunnel Project

The Niagara Tunnel Project is the most recent in a series of additions to the Sir Adam Beck hydroelectric generation complex in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

Niagara Tunnel Project near completion.

Contents

Background

First constructed in 1922, the initial Sir Adam Beck power generating station, now abbreviated as SAB 1, derived its water supply from a canal connected to the Welland River. However, due to increased power demand in later years, a second generating station, known as SAB 2, was constructed in 1954. It derives its water supply from two diversion tunnels, each about 9 kilometres in length. In 1958, a reservoir and the SAB Pump were constructed in order to make better use of available water by storing it during periods of low demand and using it in periods of greater demand in order to maximize the efficiency of the stations in regards to electricity supply and demand.

Between 1996 and 2005, Ontario Power Generation, which owns and operates the SAB complex, completed a series of major upgrades at the SAB 2 plant, increasing its potential generating capacity by 194 megawatts. Water delivered by the new Niagara Tunnel will complement this SAB 2 upgrade, and overall will increase the efficient use of the power of the Niagara River.

Construction

The Niagara Tunnel is being dug using a Tunnel Boring Machine, or TBM affectionately named "Big Becky" in honour of Sir Adam Beck. The machine will bore a hole about 10.4 kilometers long and about 14.4 meters in diameter under the City of Niagara Falls from the Niagara River to the SAB complex. This massive undertaking will create about 1.6 million cubic meters of rock and debris. The TBM operates about 140 meters below the ground, and as a result, the vibrations from the machine will not be felt on the surface. The design-build contractor for the project is Strabag AG, a large construction group with extensive experience in large tunnel construction.[1] Due to slower than projected boring progress caused by constant tunnel roof over-break, the project completion date has been extended to at least 2013 with a total projected cost of $1.6B.[2]

See also

References

External links

Coordinates: 43°04′19″N 79°04′41″W / 43.072°N 79.078°W / 43.072; -79.078


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Tunnel boring machine — A tunnel boring machine that was used at Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository A tunnel boring machine (TBM) also known as a mole , is a machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section through a variety of soil and rock strata.… …   Wikipedia

  • Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority — NFTA redirects here. For Nondeterministic Finite Tree Automaton, see Tree automaton. For the North American trade agreement, see NAFTA. Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Slogan Serving Buffalo Niagara Founded 1967 …   Wikipedia

  • Niagara Falls — For other uses, see Niagara Falls (disambiguation). Niagara Falls A view of th …   Wikipedia

  • Gateway Project — The Gateway Project shown in red would parallel the current right of way The Gateway Project is a proposed American rail expansion project to build a high speed rail right of way and to alleviate the bottleneck along the Northeast Corridor (NEC)… …   Wikipedia

  • Main Street Tunnel — Western approach to the Main Street Tunnel Carries 4 lanes of traffic Crosses Welland Canal …   Wikipedia

  • Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant — is a hydroelectric power plant in Lewiston, NY near Niagara Falls, NY. The plant diverts water from Niagara River above Niagara Falls and returns the water into the lower portion of the river near Lake Ontario. It has a generating capacity of… …   Wikipedia

  • Townline Tunnel — The tunnel seen from the west Official name Townline Tunnel Other name(s) Highway 58A, Highway 140 Carr …   Wikipedia

  • Cooks Mills, Niagara Region, Ontario — Cooks Mills is a small community in the easternmost part of the city of Welland in Ontario, Canada. It has been established, and is still centred, on a Welland River tributary called Lyons Creek. It s almost entirely a bedroom community, as there …   Wikipedia

  • Morrison Hershfield — Type Private Industry Engineering/ Consulting Founded 1946 …   Wikipedia

  • Niagarafälle — vom Skylon Tower aus …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”