Raise boringon Romanche-Gavet project

17 March 2018 - Projects update and handover - France

At the site in Gavet (south-east France), Dodin Campenon Bernard (VINCI Construction), in a joint venturewith Spie Batignolles TPCI (leader),is deploying its raise boring expertise.

This boring method – involving drilling a pilot hole downwards, then reaming it from the bottom up – will make it possible to drill a 157.5 lm-deep fall shaft (diameter: 4.5 m) and a 177 lm surge shaft (diameter: 5.5 m). The 27-tonne raise borer will enable a total of 6,800 cu. metres of rock to be extracted more safely than by traditional methods using explosives.

Reminder: this is currently the biggest project being undertaken for EDF in Europe, a vast hydroelectric development destined to replace six existing power plants on the Romanche river with a single, more efficient underground power station.