Gantry Cranes Shine in Construction of Singapore’s Next-Generation Power Infrastructure
MHE-Demag gantry cranes facilitates construction of cable tunnels with heavy-duty soil removal from underground
In early September 2013, MHE-Demag Singapore successfully installed, tested and handed over two units of robust gantry cranes to SK E&C for the construction of cable tunnels from Ang Mo Kio, Tagore to Mandai.
SK E&C was one of five companies contracted by Singapore Power to construct the Transmission Cable Tunnels at 60m underground spanning a total of 35km. The project was to ensure that households and businesses in Singapore continue to enjoy reliable, secure and quality power supply to meet future demands. The tunnel construction started in the end of 2012 and was scheduled for completion in 2018.
The whole development consisted of two 6m internal diameter, cross-island cable tunnels, one running East-West for 16.5km from Ayer Rajah to Paya Lebar and another running North-South for 18.5km from Gambas to May Road, both designed to intersect at May Road.
In order to meet the stringent requirements of soil excavation work, the gantry cranes supplied were purposefully designed with a high hook path (58m and 73m) to lift a 20t soil load from a deep shaft. To ensure safe operation, each gantry crane was constructed with a load indicator and overload device to prevent overload while lifting. In addition, the gantry cranes were fitted with an operator’s cabin for ease of operation over the deep shaft. The completion of the deep cable tunnels in 2018 would mean less road-digging works in Singapore for the maintenance and replacement of power cables, as they would be done underground in the deep cable tunnels across the island, hence minimising inconvenience to all road users.