On June 22, the diaphragm wall for the ElbX tunnel, a subproject of SuedLink, was breached on the Lower Saxony side on behalf of TenneT. This marked the successful completion of mechanical tunnel driving after a total of 5,224 meters – a very special moment for everyone involved and for the SuedLink grid expansion project.
The past 16 months beneath the Elbe were marked by extraordinary challenges: tunneling at depths of up to 40 meters, minimal cover of just 12 meters below the Elbe, compressed air pressure of up to 4.8 bar, and demanding and varying geological conditions between Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony.
There is therefore all the more appreciation for the achievements of the tunneling crews from the construction contractors PORR Deutschland and Wayss & Freytag Ingenieurbau AG, as well as our construction supervisors and all other project participants. They have shown the utmost professionalism, huge dedication, and impressive team spirit in successfully mastering this demanding task together and within the scheduled construction period.
Our heartfelt thanks to all those involved in the project at the client and project owner’s end, TenneT Germany, as well as to our partner BabEng for their trusting, constructive, and collaborative partnership. The tunnel is part of the SuedLink project. This new high-voltage, direct-current connection will in future transport North Sea wind power to southern Germany for approximately 10 million households and is therefore a key component of the energy transition.
Huge congratulations on this extraordinary milestone!
Our work in planning this significant flagship project represents an important contribution to the transportation infrastructure in northern Germany, and the design demonstrates how engineering, sustainability, and innovation can be successfully combined.
