World record-breaking boring! Tunnel at Whitby's Woodsmith Project reaches new lengths
STRABAG UK is working on behalf of Anglo American to construct the world’s longest conveyor tunnel for a permanent mineral transport system (MTS) which will transport tens of millions of tonnes of polyhalite from under the North York Moors National Park.
Polyhalite is a naturally occurring mineral which will then be crushed and granulated to create POLY4 - a unique multi-nutrient fertiliser which is suitable for organic use.
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Hide AdIt will be used in worldwide fertiliser programmes to help boost crop yields, plant strength and improve soil structure.
Andrew Johnson, Woodsmith Project Director, added: “We are delighted to achieve such an incredible milestone in the UK as part of our pioneering project.
"It is a demonstration of the fruits of teamwork with our partners.
"We are now focused on looking forward and setting a new world record every day.
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Hide Ad"The Woodsmith tunnel is a fundamental part of our commitment to create a sustainable mine with minimal environmental impact.”
World-leading tunnelling specialists, STRABAG, have been boring under the North York Moors National Park since June 2019 using a single (Hard Rock) Herrenknecht tunnel boring machine (TBM) to build the 37km tunnel with an internal diameter of 4.9 metres.
The TBM was named Stella-Rose by a local primary school pupil, with Stella, meaning star in Latin, and Rose, after the famous local landmark Roseberry Topping.
The former record was set by a water conveyance tunnel project in the Middle East which was also built using a Herrenknecht tunnel boring machine.
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Hide AdThe completed tunnel is expected to measure 37km and, once completed, Anglo American and STRABAG will have set a new world record which they are expecting to be confirmed by Guinness World Records.
Managing Director for STRABAG UK, Simon Wild, said: “We are extremely proud of the team at the Woodsmith project for reaching this incredible milestone and safely passing the current world record set for a single bored tunnel drive.
"This is another example of our growing presence in the north-east of England and the UK, demonstrating our industry leading expertise.”