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| Strabag and Rio Tinto enter into exclusive partnership in tunnelling Global mining company Rio Tinto, in cooperation with tunnel boring machine manufacturers, recently developed two new tunnel boring systems (TBS) and one shaft boring system (SBS). Now Strabag SE, the publicly listed European construction group, has signed an agreement with Rio Tinto for a longterm partnership in two phases: During Phase 1, which will cover the years 2012–2014, Strabag will carry out field trials at selected construction sites using the new excavation systems and technologies and will undertake to optimise the systems. The TBS developed in partnership between Rio Tinto and Aker Wirth was installed at Northparkes Mines in Australia and has started trial operations. The second TBS developed in partnership between Rio Tinto and Atlas Copco is expected to be installed at the Kennecott mine in Salt Lake City, USA. Preparations are continuing to identify potential locations for the SBS from Herrenknecht. The successful completion of the field trials will be followed by Phase 2: Strabag will exclusively carry out Rio Tinto projects using the new systems for a period of five years. The three systems are world-class technical innovations. Current tunnel boring machines for infrastructure works are designed for long tunnels with a large radius, however the new TBS are designed to meet the mine operator's requirements for variable tunnels with a small radius. For Rio Tinto, the partnership is another essential step in its Mine of the Future programme. For Strabag, the cooperation represents the group's entry into the new business field "Mechanical Tunnelling in the Mining Industry". write your comments about the article :: © 2013 Construction News :: home page |