Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company has completed excavation work on the 41-kilometer-long Abu Dhabi Strategic Tunnel project, bringing the completion rate for the tunnel’s excavation to 100 percent, In addition, excavation work on the 100-meter-long main treatment unit in the Al-Wathba area has been completed.
This was announced by Abdullah Ali Musleh Al-Ahbabi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company.
Al-Ahbabi explained that work is currently underway to complete the project’s branch connection lines, which connect several areas on Abu Dhabi Island and nearby islands and feed into the main tunnel, noting that 55% of these lines have been completed.
Al-Ahbabi revealed that a backup operating system has been implemented to allow the plant to operate at full capacity in the event of a power outage, adding: The company recently received the pumps for the main treatment plant in preparation for their installation in the coming period. He said: “The new pumps operate at exceptional capacities, with each one pumping more than 5 cubic meters per second,” This tunnel project is the first of its kind in the region and the second-longest inclined tunnel in the world, after the Singapore tunnel. Upon completion, it will mark a milestone on the map of infrastructure investments at the national and regional levels in terms of cost and economic returns, in addition to the advanced technologies it incorporates. The project is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2015 and to begin operations in early 2016.
Al-Ahbabi emphasized that the completion of excavation work ahead of schedule is an achievement that underscores Abu Dhabi Sewerage Company’s commitment to its responsibilities toward one of the region’s most significant infrastructure projects in terms of cost, economic returns, and environmental impact. The project is valued at approximately 5.7 billion dirhams and is the second-longest gravity tunnel in the world.
This strategic project achieves both its phased and strategic objectives, given the quality of the technologies used in its execution, the project’s economic value, its role in supporting sustainable development, and the significant environmental solutions it will provide to Abu Dhabi’s infrastructure sector.
He explained that the strategic tunnel development project is part of the company’s five-year strategy, which is based on the Abu Dhabi Emirate’s public policy agenda—representing the lofty goals set forth by the wise vision of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE —may God protect him—to continue developing a safe and confident society and building a sustainable, open, and globally competitive economy.
Al-Ahbabi noted that the company is working to reinforce Abu Dhabi’s achievements in various fields, with the aim of achieving comprehensive and sustainable social and economic development, under the guidance of His Highness Lieutenant General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and under the oversight of His Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Advisor and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, through the formulation of policies and strategies and the development of services, and by establishing modern working practices to ensure that development projects are implemented in accordance with the highest international standards and specifications, as well as scientific and technological methods.
