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VINCI wins a contract to design and build a LNG tank in the Netherlands

VINCI Construction Grands Projets, a subsidiary of VINCI Construction, have been selected to design and build a 180,000 m3 liquefied natural gas (LNG) tank in the Netherlands. This project falls within the programme to expand the storage capacity and regasification of the GATE (Gas Access To Europe) terminal, based in the port of Rotterdam, by making it possible to supply an additional 4 billion m3 of gas each year.

The project involves the construction of a new 180,000 m3 LNG storage tank with a nickel steel inner tank and a post-tensioned concrete outer container. The contract, worth €160 million, is scheduled for completion by the second half of 2026.

Between 2007 and 2011, VINCI Construction Grands Projets also built three 180,000 m3 LNG storage tanks for this same client, each under design-build contracts.

Having built around 15 LNG tanks around the world over the last decade, including one project still underway in the UK (190,000 m3) and another in Canada (225,000 m3), VINCI is renowned for its ability to meet the expectations of major clients in the industry, working in any type of environment.

VINCI wins the first design-build contract for the Grand Paris Express (section of Line 15 West)

Société du Grand Paris has awarded the first design-build contract for the Grand Paris Express to a consortium* encompassing several VINCI Construction and VINCI Energies companies. It covers the first section of Line 15 West. This section, built in a high-density urban area, will link Pont de Sèvres station to La Défense (Hauts-de-Seine – west of Paris).

The contract is worth €2.71 billion and 20% of the works will be entrusted to local SMEs. It covers turnkey engineering and construction of 14 km of tunnels, 5 stations (Saint-Cloud, Rueil-Suresnes Mont-Valérien, Nanterre La Boule, Nanterre La Folie and La Défense), a set of tail tracks and 16 service buildings.

This West section of Line 15 will extend Line 15 South and connect to Transilien Lines L and U at Saint-Cloud and at La Défense, RER Line E at Nanterre La Folie, and RER Lines A and E, metro Line 1 and Transilien tramway Line T2 at La Défense. This section is expected to start operating at end-2031.

Over 2,000 people will work on the project at peak of construction and 10% of the hours of work will be allocated to people on integration programmes throughout the construction period. The consortium has mapped out an ambitious plan to reduce its environmental footprint, alongside Société du Grand Paris: it will for instance mostly use low-carbon and very-low-carbon concrete.

VINCI will involve its Chantiers et Territoires Solidaires endowment fund, which supports non-profits working on public-interest projects aimed at providing job opportunities and fostering social ties in the communities crossed.

Several VINCI Construction and VINCI Energies companies are already active on other Grand Paris Express works packages including Line 15 South between Pont de Sèvres and Noisy-Champs and Line 18 between Orly and Saclay university.

* The Intencités15 consortium brings together construction companies and architecture firms: VINCI Construction subsidiaries (VINCI Construction Grands Projets, leader / Chantiers Modernes Construction / Dodin Campenon Bernard / ETF), VINCI Energies (SDEL Infi), Razel-Bec, Fayat Energie Services, Ingérop, Artelia, JFS Architectes, Grimshaw, AREP Architectes, Archi 5 Prod and Philippe Gazeau Architecte.

VINCI to build major portion of new Ontario Line subway in Toronto, Canada

Metrolinx, the transit authority for the Greater Toronto region (Ontario, Canada) has awarded VINCI Construction Grands Projets the civil contract for the design-build-finance of a major portion of the new Ontario Line, in a 50/50 joint venture with Ferrovial. The project will form part of the future 15.6 km Ontario Line subway that will run from the Ontario Science Centre to the Exhibition/Ontario Place in Toronto.

 

The contract, worth CAN$6 billion (€4,4 billion), covers financing, design and construction of the civil engineering, excluding rail equipment, for a 2 x 6 km twin-tube tunnel, together with seven new stations on a general contracting basis. The financing, partly mobilised by the contractor, includes a bank facility mobilising an international pool of eleven banks, including three Canadian. The project will require 89 months of work for delivery in 2030.

 

The Ontario Line is a major infrastructure project that will reduce congestion, cut travel times and drive sustainable development in the City of Toronto. It will put 227,500 more people within a short walk of transit and accommodate 388,000 daily rides by 2041. It will also significantly relieve congestion on the existing metro line 1, as well as road traffic and the associated greenhouse gas emissions with as many as 28,000 vehicles taken off the roads each day.

 

The contract allows VINCI Construction, a key player in the construction of mobility infrastructure in North America, to further strengthen its presence in Canada. This new major project highlights its expertise in urban mobility, already demonstrated by its work on the extension of Ottawa’s Confederation Line, which covers design, construction and financing of 27.5 km of new track, 16 stations and the associated engineering structures.

VINCI Construction to design and build drinking water supply infrastructure in Uganda

Sogea-Satom and VINCI Construction Grands Projets, subsidiaries of VINCI Construction, have been selected to design and build drinking water supply infrastructure in the Mbarara district of south-west Uganda, on behalf of the state-owned National Water and Sewage Corporation.

This turnkey project worth €73 million, initiated by the Ugandan Ministry of Water and Environment and financed by the French Development Agency, involves the construction of a water intake on the Kagera River, a drinking water treatment plant with a capacity of 30,000 m3 per day, a booster station, and the laying of 62 km of pipes.

200 people recruited locally will be trained in the context of the works, which will last 22 months. Once the installations are commissioned, they will guarantee access to drinking water for nearly 200,000  people.

Sogea-Satom has a long-standing presence in the country, in particular having built the drinking water treatment plants at Ggaba (2016) and Katosi (2019), and having deployed its expertise at the plant at Karuma since August 2021.

Grand Paris Express: the first tests on prefabricated voussoirs made with ultra-low-carbon concrete in France

Société du Grand Paris and VINCI Construction announce that they are using “voussoirs made of ultra-low-carbon concrete”, which are prefabricated in mechanical moulds, at a Grand Paris Express pilot worksite (Line 18, works package 1).

VINCI Construction started fine-tuning low-carbon concretes for a variety of applications several years ago and has now grouped them together in its Exegy range. After using its breakthroughs in buildings, it has started using them in components such as voussoirs (prefabricated wedge-shaped, compression-assembled parts, to line a tunnel) and pipes for smaller tunnels.

The pilot project on Line 18, which is jointly funded by Société du Grand Paris, is designed to ascertain that the formula with a very low environmental impact works adequately, verify that it can be poured into formwork (casts) at the pace required for an industrial operation, then check the finished product’s behaviour in storage and over time under operating constraints.

An initial phase, which involved testing at CDB, a VINCI Construction subsidiary that specialises in concrete prefabrication, led to a concrete formula suited specifically to voussoirs. The second phase, industrial production at Stradal, the subcontractor selected by VINCI Construction (which has been awarded Line 18 works package 1), began in September 2021. This phase will involve producing five full rings (the equivalent of 40 voussoirs) sized for the project, and the first units will be used for full-scale qualification tests (ISO fire test, load tests).

Replacing conventional concrete voussoirs with Exegy ultra-low-carbon concrete ones and Ecocem Ultra alkali-activated binder has a significant impact on the worksite’s environmental performance: emission reductions amount to about 70% compared to traditional concrete and 50% compared to very-low-carbon concrete (respectively 90?kg of CO² per cu. metre in the case of ultra-low-carbon concrete, 170?kg of CO² in the case of very-low-carbon concrete and 330?kg of CO2 in the case of traditional concrete).

The use of permanent prefabricated voussoirs made of ultra-low-carbon concrete, containing cement-free alkali-activated slag, in a section of a metro tunnel in use, is a world first. It will thus be an opportunity to conduct a benchmark study, in real-life conditions, on the use of a new, greener material in tunnels. Over time, qualification of this type of Exegy voussoirs and the mainstreaming of ultra-low-carbon solutions could bring about a massive drop in the carbon footprint of the tunnels built in France.

A European Technical Assessment to secure approval for the Ecocem Ultra alternative alkali-activated binder has been under way since 2019. Then, concretes containing this binder will be able to earn NF EN 206/CN certification by October 2021. Certification will open the door to using Exegy ultra-low-carbon solutions containing Ecocem Ultra binder for a wide variety of purposes and thus to significantly shrinking the carbon footprint of the concrete poured.

The production of this ultra-low-carbon concrete containing an alkali-activated binder has been patented jointly by VINCI?Construction and Ecocem. VINCI?Construction is working with partner concrete manufacturers to equip them with the know-how to produce Exegy concretes.

VINCI Construction is awarded the contract for works package 2 on the Lyon–Turin rail line

As part of the construction of the 57.5 km tunnel that will connect Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (France) and Susa (Italy), the owner Tunnel Euralpin Lyon-Turin (TELT) has awarded the contract for works package 2 to a consortium* led by VINCI Construction Grands Projets.

This €1.43 billion contract covers a 23 km section of twin tube tunnel between Saint-Martin-la-Porte and Modane, in Savoie (France). The works involve digging 25 km of tunnel using three tunnel boring machines and 21 km of tunnel using conventional methods, and creating 71 safety tunnels and several galleries. The project will last over five years and employ up to 1,650 people.

VINCI Construction’s teams have been active on the Lyon–Turin rail line since September 2020, handling the preparatory work on the Avrieux shafts, perpendicular to the future safety site at Modane.

The Lyon–Turin rail line is part of a programme designed to expand trade in Europe upgrade passenger travel. It is setting in motion a sustainable transition in transport by shifting long-distance freight from roads to rail lines. By 2030, it will replace 1 million heavy vehicles on Alpine roads and lower greenhouse gas emissions by about 3 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year.

VINCI Construction is applying its expertise in underground works in several countries, in particular through public transport projects. VINCI Construction subsidiaries are for instance working on several rail transport systems in the United Kingdom (High Speed 2), Ottawa (new Light Rail Transport system), Paris (several works packages for the Grand Paris Express), Doha (Lusail Light Rail Transport and metro Red Line South), New Zealand (Auckland’s City Rail Link), Hong Kong and Singapore (Thomson line).

*VINCI Construction Grands Projets (lead), Dodin Campenon Bernard and VINCI Construction France, subsidiaries of VINCI Construction (50%), and the Italian construction company Webuild.

VINCI wins the construction contract of a liquefied natural gas tank in the UK

Entrepose Contracting, VINCI Construction Grands Projets and Taylor Woodrow, all VINCI Construction subsidiaries, have been awarded an EPC* contract by National Grid to construct a 190,000 m3 liquefied natural gas (LNG) tank in the United Kingdom.

This project is part of the programme to expand the capacity of the largest LNG terminal in Europe, located on the Isle of Grain – east coast of England, 60 km from London.

This full containment tank has a 9% nickel steel inner tank with a pre-stressed concrete outer shell, poured in-situ using slipforming. The works, for a budget of €200 million, are set to continue until June 2025.

VINCI has already built about 20 LNG tanks worldwide over the past 15 years, including three which are still under construction: two in Russia (160,000 m3 each) and one in Canada (225,000 m3). The Group is recognised for its capacity to meet the expectations of major players in the sector and confirms its leading position in the design-build of large-scale cryogenic storage tanks in any type of environment.

* Engineering, Procurement and Construction

VINCI Construction has been awarded the contract to build the viaduct for metro line 18 of the Grand Paris Express

Société du Grand Paris awarded the consortium of companies* led by VINCI Construction the contract to build the viaduct for metro line 18 of the Grand Paris Express – the largest urban mobility project currently under way in Europe.

Worth €193 million, 20% of which will go to SMEs, the contract covers all the civil engineering work on this 6.7 km engineering structure, with the voussoirs being precast locally. The viaduct will be located towards the middle of line 18, a metro line that will connect ten stations between Orly airport and Versailles. The contract will contribute to the development of the Plateau de Saclay, a centre of excellence that is home to a cluster of research labs, university campuses and higher education establishments.

The project will employ 400 people at its peak and the equivalent of 10 full-time jobs will be created for people in back-to-work programmes over the 30-month project. VINCI will also mobilise its endowment fund, Chantiers & Territoires Solidaires, which supports employment and community initiatives located near Grand Paris Express worksites.

Work on the first section of line 18 has begun and is being carried out by another consortium also led by VINCI Construction. Furthermore, the VINCI Group is involved in other works packages of the Grand Paris Express, combining the expertise of and synergies between its subsidiaries: VINCI Construction for underground works, Eurovia for urban development and railway works, and VINCI Energies for information technology, data and electrical engineering.

*The consortium is composed of VINCI Construction Grands Projets, lead company, Dodin Campenon Bernard, Chantiers Modernes Construction and Freyssinet, subsidiaries of VINCI Construction, and Razel-Bec, subsidiary of the Fayat Group.

VINCI signed the contract to build the Sambangalou dam in Senegal

The consortium* led by VINCI Construction signed a contract with the Gambia River Basin Development Organisation (which involves The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal) to build the Sambangalou dam located in the south-east of Senegal, close to the Guinean border. The €388 million contract follows on from an initial phase conducting studies and preparatory work, which took place over a period of 18 months.

The 91 m high dam will have a capacity of 128 MW, generating renewable energy, improving irrigation of farm land and supplying drinking water for surrounding districts. The work will begin in the first half of 2021 and is scheduled to last 48 months. At its peak, the project will employ 1,000 people recruited and trained locally.

Moreover, once the project has been delivered, the drinking water treatment station set up for the project will be remain in operation. The worksite buildings will be donated to schools. Furthermore, engineers from the consortium will be involved in classes at the Kédougou technical high school.

The electricity generated by the dam will be injected into the grid of the four countries of the Gambia River Basin Development Organisation, where VINCI Energies is installing several hundred kilometres of high voltage lines.

The new contract is testament to the Group’s expertise in hydroelectric infrastructure and renewable energies to boost sustainable regional development.

*The consortium is composed of VINCI Construction Grands Projets, lead company, and VINCI Construction Terrassement, subsidiaries of VINCI Construction (75% of the consortium), and their partner Andritz, an Austrian turbine manufacturer, which (25% of the consortium).

VINCI Construction wins two new contracts for the City Rail Link line in Auckland, New Zealand

The Link Alliance, including VINCI Construction Grands Projets (lead company) and Soletanche Bachy International, subsidiaries of VINCI Construction, and their partner Downer, plus designers Aecom, WSP-Opus and Tonkin & Taylor – signed on 20 October 2020 the contract for lots 5 and 7 for the City Rail Link programme in Auckland, New Zealand.

Lot C5 includes the construction of two structures (grade-separated junctions) and 2 km of new track, to be constructed while maintaining traffic on the North Auckland Line.
Lot C7 includes installation of power supply, overhead lines, signalling and the control system for the entire City Rail Link.

These contracts follow on from the contract for lot 3 won in July 2019 by the same consortium, covering design/construction of a 3.45 km railway line extension, including 3.2 km of tunnel and three new stations.

The contracts are of the “Alliance” type, which combines the designer-builder consortium and the client – City Rail Link Limited – into a single team to undertake the project. Delivery of all three lots (3, 5 and 7) is scheduled for 2024.

At a total cost of 4.419 billion New Zealand dollars (2.586 billion euros), the City Rail Link project will double the number of people able to reach Auckland’s city centre within 30 minutes. This new train line is designed to accommodate 54,000 passengers per hour during peak hours, or the equivalent capacity of two motorways with four lanes in each direction.

This project illustrates VINCI Construction’s ability to support large urban centres in successfully delivering their urban mobility projects, as it is doing in France, Hong Kong, Singapore, Qatar, USA and Canada.