We are constantly pushing the boundaries of trenchless construction to move the industry forward in safe and environmentally responsible ways. Our innovation and expertise recently earned a No-Dig Award in the Trenchless Project (New Installation) category for our work on the Snowy 2.0 – Marica Road West horizontal directional drilling (HDD) project.
This critical and complex HDD in New South Wales, Australia was necessary for the installation of electrical power, water, and fiber optic cables required to operate Snowy 2.0, the largest committed renewable energy project in the country.
At 2,248 meters (7,375 feet) long, the Marica Road HDD is an impressive but not exceptional length for a trenchless contractor. However, the HDD borehole included an elevation difference of 563 m (1,847 ft) from the low side to the high side. In standard HDD profiles, elevation changes of about 50 m between the entry and exit locations are considered significant.
The unprecedented HDD project was completed with a 100-percent safety score and zero environmental incidents.
The trenchless approach eliminated the need for 5 kilometers of roads and cuts in the steep terrain, which would have had a negative impact on the environmentally sensitive area of Kosciusko National Park surrounding the project site.
The No-Dig Award was presented to Michels at a ceremony in Vancouver hosted by the International Society for Trenchless Technology (ISTT) and the North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT).
