Selmer Skanska to build Tyin hydro plant on í˜vre í…rdal river for Norsk Hydro. Contract value NOK512 million (SEK628 million) includes a subterranean power station, pumping facilities, shafts and 19 km of tunnels. Preparatory work has commenced. Completion October, 2004. Visit www.selmer.skanska.no 41/01.  1.54 km-long access tunnel completed June, 2002 and powerhouse excavation underway in granite. 2.7 km-long x 46 sq m tailrace under development for breakthrough June, 2003 using Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer WL3 C to drill 90 holes/round at 5.2 m-long x 48 mm-diameter under 1.5 km rock cover. 12-15 resin anchored bolts/round, 2.4 or 4.0 m-long, with shotcrete. Bi-directional drives underway from 350 m-long access tunnel at mid-point of headrace, using Atlas Copco 353 S drillrigs and Cat 963B loaders with Gjerstad side tipping buckets stationed at each face, with single crew alternating. Granite towards powerstation, phyllite towards lake. Surge shaft chamber complete, and Skanska Raise Boring mobilizing refurbished Robbins 97 RLC to bore 463 m-deep x 4.04 m-diameter shaft. 2.4 km-long draw off tunnel between Lakes Tyin and Toroholmen underway using Schaeff ITC 312 loader and Moxy MT25 trucks. Project on schedule. Visit www.selmer-skanska.no and www.skanskaraiseboring.com. Read E-News Weekly # 20. 46/02.Total of 4,500 rounds blasted to remove 680,000 cu m of rock, with some 27,086 rockbolts and 15,100 cu m shotcrete installed by 160 workers. Excavation completed during 2003, with the final blast in the tailrace end-May, and the headrace from Biskopsvatn to the power station breaking through on 10th July. The draw-off tunnel at Torolmen was finished at the end of July, with the lake tap left ready drilled for blasting, scheduled to take place in mid-2004. The piercing of Ardalsvatn from the tailrace will be carried out in Spring, 2004. Nearly 21 km of tunnel and 45,000 cu m of powerstation were excavated in just 19 months, involving 600,000 manhours, without a single serious accident. More from magnar.myklatun@skanska.no or visit www.boomer-rig.com 09/04.