President Xi Jinping will attend the 31st APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and the 19th G20 Summit in Latin America, and pay state visits to Peru and Brazil. “No matter how far we are from each other, we are still neighbors.” President Xi Jinping quoted a famous line from a Tang Dynasty poem to describe the relationship between China and Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Recently, the concrete lining of the TBM tunnel section of the diversion tunnel of the San Gaván Hydropower Station in Peru was completed, and the construction of the project reached another major milestone. The my country Railway Construction Heavy Industry TBM used in this project is the first open TBM exported by China to South America. During the construction process, it created an excellent record of more than 1,000 meters of footage per month. It has successfully penetrated the tunnel, allowing the Peruvian national flower “Sunflower” painted on the cutter head to bloom perfectly, adding luster to the cooperation and friendship between the two countries.
In March 2020, my country’s first open TBM exported to South America rolled off the production line at China Railway Construction Heavy Industry, and the cutter head was painted with the Peruvian national flower “Sunflower”
The Peruvian San Gaván Hydropower Station is a representative project of the “Belt and Road” initiative in South America and the first power project invested by a Chinese company in Peru. The total installed capacity of the San Gaván Hydropower Station is 209.3 MW, with a designed annual power generation of 1.25 billion kWh. After completion and commissioning, it will greatly promote the optimal allocation of regional water resources and sustainable economic and social development in South America.
The tunnel section length of this project is 9,200 meters, with a designed uphill angle of 3.3% and full-section support required. The working environment is extremely rare. The TBM produced by China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. has overcome difficulties and maintained a very high integrity rate during construction. The equipment has been launched since February 2022. The maximum single-shift footage exceeds 26 meters, the maximum daily footage reaches 46 meters, the highest monthly footage reaches 1007.9 meters, and the average monthly footage is 438 meters. The tunnel was successfully completed in November 2023.
In Latin American and Caribbean countries, in addition to the “sunflowers” blooming in Peru, China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Co., Ltd.’s tunnel boring machines are also exported to countries and regions such as Chile and Colombia to help local subway and municipal pipeline construction. In addition, China Railway Construction Heavy Industry’s gravel production lines, concrete wet spraying machines, railway turnouts, fasteners, rail grinding wheels and other products have also been exported to Latin American and Caribbean countries.
