Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) has been awarded a US$203M contract for the civil and structural work on the 2000MW Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project in Assam, India.
The project includes eight 9.5m diameter headrace tunnels, which vary from 630m to 1145m to give 7100m of tunnel and intake structures; 8m diameter pressure shafts from 195m to 212m totalling 1628m; 206m of tailrace tunnel; 9m and 6m diameter adit tunnels of length 450m and 275m respectively; and a 234,000m3 eight compartment surge chamber. Construction is expected to take 72 months despite the area’s soft rock, which will require considerable ground support. L&T stated they would “deploy modern imported equipment to ensure quality, safety and speed in project execution.”
L&T, won the contract over rival bids from Jaiprakash Industries and Hindustan Construction Company, both Indian companies, Gammon-Ozaltin and Nurol Constructions from Turkey and the South Korean Patel-DIC. L&T had previously carried out similar projects successfully in the Himalayas in Bhutan and Nepal.
