On January 5, 2024, the water tunnel of Nam Sam 3 Hydropower Plant Project ("Project") in Lao PDR was officially cleared after more than two (02) years of construction. The principal tunnel having a length of 9173.7 meters along with the 1500m long sub-tunnel and the tunnel arch diameter up to 7.5m are opened by six (06) tunnel faces.
The water tunnel is an extremely important project item having function of taking water from the reservoir to the powerhouse. The tunnel is constructed by method of the drilling and blasting in strict compliance with the occupational safety regulations and the approved method statement. The water tunnel construction of the Project has encountered various difficulties notably the complex geology at the excavation routes, especially the tunnel face No. 1 and No. 2, the adverse weather with the long rainy season hindering the transportation of materials and equipment to the project in general and the water tunnel construction in particular.
However, thanks to SCI’s plentiful years of experience and strong capability in numerous types of hydropower projects including the pipeline type, SCI Group has overcome all harsh challenges and cleared the water tunnel on schedule with the highest quality. SCI also affirmed its ability to master the entire tunneling excavation process from drilling and blasting, hauling, steel bar erection, shotcrete, reinforcement, etc.
The clearance of the water tunnel is a significant milestone of the Project, marking a new step in the project performance and bringing the Project closer to the finish line. This is the result of SCI Group's efforts under cooperation and support by the Employer, Employer’s Engineer and the relevant entities.
