“The tunnel construction under the Elbe is a significant and complex project that has repeatedly presented us with engineering challenges. Despite this, we’ve managed to achieve this milestone ahead of schedule. We’re proud to celebrate this success together with our project partners”, says PORR CEO Karl-Heinz Strauss. The tunnel was driven using mechanised tunnelling at depths of up to several dozen metres and under challenging geological and water-bearing conditions beneath the Elbe. The planning, logistics and execution demanded the maximum of everyone involved.

Over the final stretch of around 400 metres, the project team benefited in particular from favourable ground conditions, which enabled exceptional tunnelling performance. New bests were achieved on the construction site: The maximum daily advance was 32.6 metres or 25 segment rings, while the weekly record reached a whopping 158.7 metres.

Precise planning, close cooperation

“The successful breakthrough shows what is possible when modern tunnelling technology is combined with experience and a well-coordinated and motivated team”, says René Hallbauer, Tunnelling Project Manager at PORR. “This achievement is based on precise planning and close cooperation across all trades”.

Throughout the entire construction period, the advance was characterised by changeable and challenging ground conditions in the groundwater of the Elbe. The fact that the breakthrough was nevertheless achieved earlier than forecast underlines PORR’s high level of technical expertise in tunnelling as well as the close coordination between all project partners.

With the successful breakthrough now complete, the interior works and technical fit-out of the tunnel are set to begin. Once completed, the Elbe crossing will make a significant contribution to Germany’s stable and secure power supply and is a central building block for the success of the energy transition.

5.2 km tunnel under the Elbe

The “SuedLink ElbX crossing” project involves the construction of a tunnel around 5.2 km long beneath the River Elbe between Wewelsfleth in Schleswig-Holstein and Wischhafen in Lower Saxony. The tunnel forms part of the SuedLink power line and will make it possible in future to route high-capacity high-voltage direct current cables beneath the river in order to transport wind power from northern Germany to the southern regions. This technically complex structure is considered a central component in Germany’s energy transition.