Cavico was awarded a contract in July 2007 to excavate the headrace tunnel as well as four sub-tunnels, a surge tank, a vertical shaft, and a service access road. The first and second sub-tunnels achieved breakthrough in August and December 2010, respectively.
Cavico employed the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) and blasting method to excavate the main and sub-tunnels. The headrace tunnel is 7.27 miles long, excluding sub-tunnels, and 21.3ft wide. It is considered the longest and most sophisticated tunnel to be constructed in Vietnam.
The A Luoi Hydropower plant is being built on the A Sap River, located in Thua Thien Hue Province in central Vietnam. The 170MW capacity hydropower plant – owned by Central Hydropower Joint Stock Co – is expected to generate approximately 686 million kilowatt-hours of energy annually for the region.
"We are pleased to prepare for the final breakthrough on the A Luoi Hydropower project," said Mr. Hung Manh Tran, executive vice president of Cavico. "Our efficient, highly skilled team is working diligently to excavate the final meters of the tunnel on this complex project."
