It’s always a good time, as the year draws to an end, to reflect on what the previous 12 months has brought, both good and bad. All in all, 2002 seems to have been an encouraging year for the tunnelling industry, with an increasing need for underground infrastructure reported from all corners of the world.

Possibly the most noticeable ‘golden egg’ is the unprecedented amount of tunnelling work planned for China, as part of it’s current US$483bn infrastructure spending spree (T&TI, November 02, p16). To date, the country has been something of an untapped resource. Although it has been possible to gain work in China since 1994, so far this has only been exploited by few overseas companies. This is possibly due to tales of some of the difficulties experienced by those who did take up the reigns. But China’s recent accession to the World Trade Organisation has certainly opened doors, at the very least making the process of winning work in China easier. And, as long as everyone plays by the rules, it must stand out as the industry’s most prominent land of opportunity.

Another area worthy of investigation is Russia. T&TI recently returned from the ‘Tunnelling in Russia’ conference in Moscow, and initial indications show that Russia could provide the next tunnelling boom, with a wealth of large-scale projects on the cards (see next month’s T&TI).

The point is, there is lots of work out there, just not necessarily in your backyard; it has to be looked for. UK contractors and consultants have had to live with this for years, making hay whilst the sun shines at home, then up-rooting during the famine that inevitably follows. Although being extremely disruptive, UK projects have a habit of getting the green light just as everyone has left, it seems to be the way things are and you just have to get used to it.

The good news is many more countries are opening up their projects to international tender. OK, this may well be to secure funding from outside organisations and to increase their own export opportunities, but the up-shot is, there is more work up for grabs for all. With 2002 coming to a close it could be a good plan for 2003 to go that extra yard, or several thousand miles in most cases, to secure those lucrative contracts.

I’d like to sign off the year by wishing all of T&TI‘s friends around the world the very best of seasonal greetings and a prosperous 2003.