Tideway Tunnel Boring Machines Set to Drill

Tideway Tunnel Boring Machines Set to Drill


The first two of six NEC-procured tunnel boring machines are due to start drilling the £4.2 billion Thames Tideway ‘super sewer’ by the end of this year.

‘Millicent’ and 'Ursula’ were both procured for licenced infrastructure provider Tideway under an NEC3 Supply Contract from NFM Techologies in Le Creusot, France. Costing around £15 million each, they were shipped up the Thames via Hamburg, Germany in September.

The 8.8m diameter machines – the largest on the project – are now being assembled in launch adits 53m underground. They will weigh some 1300 t each and measure more than 100 m long when ready.

Millicent will tunnel 5km from the Kirtling Street shaft near Battersea power station to Carnwath Road in Fulham, while Ursula will dig 7.6km from the same shaft to Chambers Wharf in Bermondsey.

The two machines are excavating the central section of the 25km route, which is being delivered under an NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract Option C (target contract with activity schedule) by a Ferrovial Agroman UK and Laing O’Rourke joint venture.

Completion of the whole NEC-procured river clean-up project is scheduled for 2024.
 
Recent Projects

Recent news

Dealing with multiple currencies in NEC4 contracts using option X3

Dealing with multiple currencies in NEC4 contracts using Option X3

Under Option X3, NEC users need to ensure the contract facilitates use of the latest exchange rates and be aware that a specified person certifies payments.

Read more
NEC contracts used to deliver sustainable waste depot in West Yorkshire, UK

NEC contracts used to deliver sustainable waste depot in West Yorkshire, UK

A major ‘green’ headquarters building has been delivered on a brownfield site in West Yorkshire, UK using NEC.

Read more
NEC4 ECC January 2023 amendments allow home workers to be a defined cost

NEC4 ECC January 2023 amendments allow home workers to be a defined cost

This article sets out the background and how clients and contractors might use the ‘Working Areas’ part of the contract.

Read more
View all news