On 22.10.2018 Rio Tinto, Cheslatta Carrier and Haisla First Nations launched the 1300 t TBM named Tl'ughus (pronounced tahl-ug-us, with accent on ‘ug’). Tl’ughus is a legendary giant monster snake living, according to the legend, in the mountains and landscape around the Nechako Reservoir. The snake, known as "tl'ughus", travelled from lake to lake by boring through the mountains. The openings created by the snake allowed fish to pass from lakes on one side of the mountain to lakes on the other side.

In December of 2017, FKA (Frontier-Kemper Aecon JV) received notice to proceed from Rio Tinto on the Kemano T2 project, completing the remaining 7.6 km of a 16 km secondary tunnel that will supply the Kemano Powerhouse with water from the Nachako Reservoir. This will  create a back up to the original tunnel that was built over 60 years ago. The 8.4 km of an existing portion of the second tunnel (excavated in the 1990s) will be refurbished. Phase 1 of the project was completed in 2013 to coincide with the Kitimat Modernisation Project and involved construction of interconnections to the existing portion of the second tunnel.

The Project consists of excavation and boring of a new tunnel, installation of tunnel lining, restoration of existing underground and surface excavations, installation of intake gates, and other structures. A combination of drill and blast, and bored TBM tunnel will be implemented to complete the tunnel and access routes. Approximately 250,000 m3 of tunnel rock will be excavated by the TBM.

Completion of a second tunnel will ensure the long-term reliability of the power supply from the Kemano Powerhouse, which powers Rio Tinto’s BC Works smelter in Kitimat. Construction of the Kemano Second Tunnel project is expected to be complete in 2020.

Visit https://www.riotinto.com, https://www.frontierkemper.com and http://www.aecon.com/.  45/18.

https://www.riotinto.com/canada/bcworks/kemano-t2-project-25481.aspx

https://www.frontierkemper.com=>www.frontierkemper.com/projects/KemanoT