NFM Technologies has received orders totalling approximately US$35M for four EPBMs for the Shenyang and Shenzen metro projects, in China.

The identical 6.28m diameter shields are identical to the TBMs already working on the Guangzhou metro, the company told T&TI. NFM will manufacture the main components of the EPBMs at its facilities in Le Creusot, France, with integration and assembly undertaken in China by its partner Shenyang Heavy Machinery Group (SHMG).

Two EPBMs are being supplied to Shenyang Municipal Construction and the China Railway Engineering Co for delivery in December this year and January 2009, respectively, for work on the Shenyang Metro.

The first will drive a 1179m rail tunnel from Century Square and Xiashengou stations. It will be the second machine that does the more excavation, however, by driving two 1123m long tubes below Canal South river to link Quingian Park and Industry Exhibition hall stations. The latter EPBM will have a cover of approximately 10m to the river bed.

NFM has already supplied three TBMs for construction work on Shenyang’s metro – two in 2005, and one last year for Line 1.

The manufacturer is also to supply two EPBMs to Shenzen Municipal Engineering Co by the end of this year for the Shenzen metro project. The machines are to drive twin 2300m long tunnels to link An Tuoshan and Xiang Mei North stations via Qiao Xiang and Xiang Mi Lake.

Last year, NFM had orders for seven TBMs in or near Shenzen – two for a rail link and five 6.28m diameter shields for the metro (four for Line 2, one for Line 3).

NFM is majority-owned by China’s Northern heavy Industries (NHI) group, which also holds SHMG. The Chinese company took 70% control as part of a financial rescue plan for the company last year. NFM is still protected by the French commercial court, and that will expire in mid-2010 upon completion of the firm’s debt settlement plan.

Tunnel boring started a few months ago in Tabriz, Iran, with the machines that triggered NFM’s financial problems when the client severely delayed payments. The TBMs had been kept in storage until payments were received, in 2006, but by then the knock-on effect had caused severe difficulties and the protection of the commercial court was sought.

The company became very active in China with SHMG prior to the takeover, and NFM continues to be busy in the country. It said 15 TBMs were sold in China in 18 months. Excavation is underway with the first of four slurry shields in Shiziyang, it is to supply two TBMs to the Yintao water diversion project, and work is nearly complete with its TBMs on the Wuhan twin bores (T&TI, February, p7).


New NFM TBMs are identical to those sent to Guangzhou (shown) New NFM TBMs are identical to those sent to Guangzhou (shown)