Macau’s First EPB TBM Breaks Through

On Feb. 20, 2023, the Macau’s first small diameter EPB TBM “CREC 1076” broke through, which laid a solid foundation for completing the sewage interception pipe project in Macau New Port Area on schedule.

Located on Macau Peninsula, the sewage interception pipe project is 2,560m long, among which the shield section is 2,279m. The tunnel alignment has many S-shaped curves with the minimum curve radius of 50m and lots of riprap areas. The machine mainly goes through silt and reclamation geology. In addition, there also exist other difficulties, including an extremely narrow launch shaft and strict settlement requirement due to tunneling under the operating motor speedway.

In view of the above project difficulties, China Railway Engineering Equipment Group, Co. Ltd. (CREG) has customized the EPB TBM “CREC 1076” with the excavation diameter of 3.38m, total length of 190m and total weight of 400tons. It adopts the spherical articulation and pumping method to discharge muck through the wholly sealed pipelines, which improves the construction efficiency and environment.

Upon completion, the project will improve the capacity of the sewage discharge system in the area, effectively solve the problems of sewage overflow and marine pollution that have long plagued Macau citizens at the outer port wharf, thus meeting the needs of urban development, protecting the ecology, improving the overall living environment and promoting regional economic development.