Shanxi Wanjiazhai Yellow River Diversion Project, China

The Shanxi Wanjiazhai Yellow River Diversion Project is an all-encompassing project to alleviate the water shortages in three of China's industrial areas - Taiyuan, Pingsuo and Datong. The country's rapid economic growth is fuelling water demand beyond the capacity of the existing infrastructure. The contracts were awarded in 2001. In November 2001 the first major step was inaugurated when water from the Yellow River ran to the Fenhe reservoir. By the end of 2002, it should have been extended eastward 100km to the Taiyuan. The cost of the entire enterprise is estimated at $1.5 billion, $400 million of which will come from the World Bank.

MAJOR WATERWAYS

The project is located in the north west region of Shanxi Province. The diversion project has three major waterways, the General Main, South Main and North Main.

The General Main waterway is 44km in length. It is designed to take 48m³/s of water from the Wanjiazhai reservoir to a diversion sluice located at Xiatuzhai village. The reservoir was created by the Yellow River Commission by the building of the Xiaolangdi dam. This was one of the largest World Bank-funded projects at $1.6 billion. To speed the water on its way, there are three pumping stations on the General Main.

The South Main travels from the diversion sluice at Xiatuzhai for approximately 100km southward. It is intended to supply 640m³ x 106 of water per annum at a rate of 20.5m³/s.

The North Main travels from the diversion sluice at Xiatuzhai for approximately 167km in a northward direction. It has a flow rate of 22.2m³/s.

LEAD CONTRACTORS

Contracts WYRPD-C2 and WYRPD-C3 make up the chief part, though not all of the civil works for the South Main. These contracts were won by the 'Wan Long Joint Venture', a formation of IMPREGLIO S.p.A. from Italy (the leader of the joint venture with a participating share of 45%), C.M.C. of Ravenna S.a.r.l. of Italy, China Water Conservancy & Hydropower and Engineering Bureau No. 4 of China.

The WYRPD-C2 contract consists of the following work:

• Tunnel four will be 6.9km long, excavated by a tunnel boring machine (TBM), with a diameter of approximately 5m, and lined with pre-cast concrete segments
• Bridge canal three is to be 370m long and approximately 20m high
• Tunnel number five will be 25.8km long, excavated by TBM, with a diameter of approximately 5m, and lined with pre-cast concrete segments
• Culvert one is to be 530m long and to have a diameter of 5m
• Culvert two will be 730m long and have a diameter of 4.2m
• Tunnel six will be 14.6km in length, possibly excavated by TBM, with a diameter of approximately 5m, and lined with pre-cast concrete segments

The WYRPD-C3 contract consists of the following work:

• TBM with a diameter of approximately 5m and lined with pre-cast concrete segments
• Flood control sluice
• Open channel section approximately 460m long, built of stone

The supervisory control and data acquisition contract was won by the Foxboro company. This covers the control centres, the hydraulic applications, instrumentation and power systems, CCTV and much of the engineering. Foxboro is part of Invensys. Siemens won the tender to provide the telecoms and dispatching network in February 2001 at $9.98 million. DHI won a contract for security checking and operational strategies to reduce electricity use.