An international JV formed by Jaeger Bau, Oestu Stettin, SELI, Arvin Engineering and Wirth won a contract to build the Kerman long-term water supply project. The project is designed to supply water to the city of Kerman in southeast Iran, by utilizing the water of the Jazmourian watershed. A 63.5 km north-south running tunnel will be built, excavation diameter of 4.04 m. Two Wirth double-shield TBMs will be used. The northern portal is located approximately 45 km SSW of Kerman while the southern portal is approximately 7 km southeast of Rabor. The maximum overburden of the tunnel is 1,160 m. The geological formations are mainly of volcanic origin, with lesser intrusive rocks. Two ventilation shafts are foreseen. The water transfer tunnel will be excavated from each side of the Kuh-e-Lalehzar mountains, with two drives of approximately 32 km each. The tunnel will partly be lined with prefabricated concrete segments. Logistics will be the project's challenge to build the two tunnel sections in a mountainous hinterland and into the city. The project's engineers are Arvin Engineering of Iran. The client is the Islamic Republic of Iran's Kerman Regional Water Authority. The contract amounts to EUR134.6 million and includes the financing, planning and execution. Financing by Bank Austria Creditanstalt and Oesterreichische Kontrollbank. Construction time: 60 months. Although Kerman is close to Bam, a historical city recently destroyed by an earthquake, the tunnel is not threatened by a seismic zone. Visit www.wirth-europe.com, www.jaegerbau.com, www.oestu-stettin.at, www.selitunnel.com and www.iranarvin.com 08/04.