Go back

July 14, 2022

Webuild: circular economy at La Maddalena Tunnel site counters drought to support local economy in a sustainably way

PRESS NOTES

  • Water from La Maddalena tunnel to be used to irrigate vineyards in Chiomonte, Italy

  • Innovative solution to recover, reintroduce natural cycle of underground water collected at site of tunnel work

 

CHIOMONTE, Italy, July 14, 2022 – Webuild is applying the principle of a circular economy by recycling the underground water collected during its excavation of the La Maddalena tunnel in Chiomonte, the main construction site on the Italian side of the project to establish a railway between Turin and Lyon, France. For the entire period of the water crisis in Italy, the Group will supply the water for the irrigation of nearby vineyards to support the local economy in an area where the government has declared a state of emergency as a result of the drought afflicting Italy.

In agreement with the client, Tunnel Euralpin Lyon Turin (TELT), Webuild and its partners will supply on a daily basis the water to the Consorzio irriguo di Chiomonte (Chiomonte Irrigation Consortium) by means of tanker trucks to irrigate 12 hectares of vineyards, which are located on steep inclines to produce high-quality wines.

The water had been previously collected in tanks where it was treated and cooled before being poured into the Dora River. The Politecnico di Torino university had also helped research another pilot project to use the hot water to regulate the temperature at the visitors’ centre to be open throughout the life of the project.

The project’s reuse of a natural resource is not limited to water. Nearly 60 percent of the material being excavated will be used for the segments to be made to line the walls of the tunnel, or the foundation on which the rail lines will be laid. This recycling of rocks reduces the need to bring more material to the construction site, producing economic and environmental benefits.

At the Chiomonte site, Webuild and its subsidiary CSC Costruzioni are working on the interchange niches of the La Maddalena tunnel, the preparatory stage of the ambitious project of sustainable mobility in Europe that will connect Turin and Lyon along the Milan-Paris route, passing under the Alps with a high-speed/high-capacity railway. It is an important section of the Mediterranean Corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) that will stretch for 65 kilometres and help avoid the emission of three million tonnes of CO2 per year otherwise produced by vehicles.

Webuild is working on other TELT lots on the French side of the project. Lot 2 involves the construction sites of La Praz and Saint-Martin-de-la-Porte and a total of 46 kilometres of tunnels that will include two parallel tunnels forming the railway line, as well as a system of auxiliary tunnels. Lot 5 foresees the preparatory works for the construction of a safety site in Modane and for four ventilation shafts that will be at the service of the future base tunnel with the view of building a logistics hub 500 metres below the Massif of Ambin.

 

Attachments

14/07/2022 - 14:22

Webuild: circular economy at La Maddalena Tunnel site counters drought to support local economy in a sustainably way

Information material - Bridge project over the Strait of Messina
(*) Required information