It is the 30th TBM so far for the new 200km metro project in the French capital, and the third on Line 18.
TBM Awa will begin her journey from the future Guyancourt station in western Paris this summer. She will complete a 6.7km tunnel, breaking through near the Versailles-Chantiers station at the end of 2026.
The variable density TBM, which has a 9m diameter and weighs 122 tonnes, comprises reused components from TBM Céline which built the 5.9km tunnel between Palaiseau and Massy on the eastern section of Line 18. TBM Céline was launched in 2021 and completed excavation in 2023.
TBM Awa is named after Awa Camara, president of the Guyancourt association, Second Breath, which supports parents of children with disabilities.
The Ferrovial-Spie Batignolles consortium building Line 18 has reached an agreement with energy supplier EDF to ensure the electricity required during construction work will be entirely from renewable sources.
The agreement provides for the supply of 25 GWh, equivalent to the power used by a city of 85,000 people in three months. Of the total, 13.5 GWh will be used to drive the TBM and the rest to operate the ancillary equipment required for construction. The deal will avoid the emission of 7,396 tons of CO2.
In addition, the excavated material, which will be mainly sand, will be used in other phases of the project.
“Ferrovial’s Construction division has made a firm commitment that, by 2025, all projects where we have decision-making capacity will use 100% renewable energy. We are also working to replicate this commitment to sustainability in projects with partners, in order to involve the entire value chain,” said Ferrovial Construction CEO Ignacio Gastón.
Ferrovial-Spie Batignolles were awarded the €428m Line 18 contract in April 2022. Line 18 connects Orly Airport to Versailles-Chantiers and the works comprise construction of the 6.7km tunnel, three stations – Guyancourt, Satory, and Versailles-Chantiers – and eight ancillary structures.
