The world’s largest hard rock boring machine – named Big Becky – has successfully achieved breakthrough at the Niagara Tunnel Project, Ontario Power Generation has announced.

Completion of the TBM’s 10.2km journey beneath the City of Niagara Falls is a major milestone in the project, which will be complete in 2013. Breakthrough was achieved on 13 May.

OPG’s Niagara Tunnel is one of Ontario’s largest and most economical clean energy projects. When the entire project is complete it will provide enough additional water to the Sir Adam Beck stations to generate enough energy for about 160,000 homes.

Now that Big Becky has successfully completed the journey, OPG is donating the cutter head from the machine, to the community, as an artefact for future generations. “We will be working with the community to find the best location to display all or part of the cutter head, as a lasting tribute to the project,” said Tom Mitchell, President and CEO of OPG.

The design / build contractor on the Niagara Tunnel project is strabag Inc. Big Becky was supplied by Robbins.


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