Impregilo using 4.94 m-diameter NFM double-telescopic hardrock TBM in Shanxi province. Machine manufactured mainly in China, cutterhead at Le Creusot. Delivery July, 1998. March 1998. Wan Long JV reports excellent progress at the Wanjiazhai Yellow River diversion project. The joint venture comprises Impregilo (48%) and Cooperativa Muratori Cementisti Ravenna (42%) with local partner The China Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering Bureau No 4 (10%). The project consists of five primary lots. Wan Long JV won contracts for lots II & III in international tender. Lots II & III require 88.9 km of tunnel located 50 to 300 m below the surface. Of this, 1.5 km is being excavated by road header, and the remainder by three double-shield Robbins TBMs and one NFM TBM. Three of the machines were designed and produced specifically for this project. All are erecting honeycomb segment lining. Boring started on 3rd December, 1998 and by the end of March this year, more than 40 km of tunnel (45% of the total) was complete. Overall monthly production reached a new record in January, with the four machines excavating and lining 4,871 m of tunnel. The Robbins TBM working on contracts T4 and T5 has achieved the best figures to date with 99.4 m in one day, 1,822 m in one month, and an average monthly performance of 863 m. Wan Long JV has also produced record numbers of concrete lining segments with a maximum 653 segments manufactured in a single day. Visit www.robbinstbm.com May 2000. Robbins reports that the four 5 m-diameter double shielded machines have recorded 1.826 km excavated and lined in a single month. Visit www.robbinstbm.com Sept 2000.  High-Point Rendel appointed as special advisor for 90 km of the 370 km of tunnels, internal diameters from 4.2 m to 5.4 m, being excavated with TBMs and lined with 25 mm thick hexagonal prefabricated concrete segments by a jv of Impregilo, CMC and the China Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering Bureau No. 4. Visit www.hprendel.com 44/01.Alpine Mayreder received a EUR47 million contract to build the 25 km Pinglu tunnel in Shanxi province, to be driven from one side only by a TBM. The 4.8 m-inner diameter tunnel will be lined with precast concrete segments. The tunnel will supply water to the provincial cities of Pinglu, Shuozhou and Datong, located in water-deficient regions. This project will represent a substantial component for the further economic development of the region. The start date of the tunnel drive is middle of June 2006. Construction to end in February 2009. The project is part of the north main line of the Yellow River diversion project. The client is Shanxi Wanjiazhai Yellow River Diversion Corporation, based in Taiyuan. Visit www.alpine.atThe tunnel passes through sedimentary rock, such as sandstone, mudstone, limestone and through coal. The tunnel site is located next to the largest open pit coal mines in China. The overburden is up to 430 m high.A Robbins hard rock double shield TBM will be used. The TBM is provided by the client and was already used at the south main line of the Yellow River diversion project. The segment moulds, used already at the south line, are also provided by the client. New moulds were purchased from Kawasaka Heavy Industries (Shenzhen City). Concrete rings of orthogonal segments. Mucking-out by locos and muck cars. Other underground structures include an underground cavern after 13 km for TBM refurbishment. The dimensions are 35 m x 11 m x 15 m. Visit www.robbinstbm.comThe south main line to Taiyuan was already completed some time ago. It was financed by the World Bank and Alpine Mayreder was involved in Lot I (1997-2001), including in particular two underground pump stations. Lots 2 and 3 were executed by Impregilo, CMC and the China Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering Bureau No 4 with four Robbins double shield TBMs. Click cn/15. 13/06.