NHI Headlines
The "Tiangong" of Northern Heavy Industries Group Co., Ltd.(NHI) excavated 20.189 meters in a single day, breaking the industry record
On October 31st (Reporter Zhao Yong), the "Tiangong" ultra deep vertical shaft full-face hole expanding TBM, jointly developed by NHI, China Three Gorges Construction Engineering Corporation and Power China, achieved a daily footage of 20.189 meters during the construction of the No.1 diversion shaft of Songyang Pumped Storage Power Station in Zhejiang Province. This is another breakthrough for the equipment after breaking the industry record with a daily footage of 18.028 meters on September 29th.
The design depth of the diversion shaft of Songyang Pumped Storage Power Station is 637 meters. Due to the complex local geological conditions, the construction difficulty is extremely high. To ensure the smooth progress of the project, in July 2025, after the core components of the "Tiangong" were delivered to the site, NHI quickly formed a team of 12 technical backbones to be stationed on the construction front line for a long time. They overcame difficulties in the limited working space in the mountainous area, implemented 24-hour shift work, and made every effort to ensure equipment installation and commissioning, ultimately ensuring the smooth departure of the "Tiangong" on September 19th, pressing the "acceleration button" for the project.
The "Tiangong" complete machine is 37.7 meters high and weighs over 480 tons, which is a concentrated reflection of the R&D strength of NHI. It integrates multiple innovative technologies: its cutterhead has the ability to change diameter and supports direct tool replacement in the shaft, effectively solving the technical bottleneck in traditional construction; The advanced remote control system can achieve integrated and intelligent operations such as excavation, slag removal, anchor support, and concrete spraying, reducing the number of direct underground workers by more than 60%; The equipment is equipped with more than 100 high-precision sensors, combined with 3D geological modeling technology, to build a comprehensive intelligent monitoring system, providing a solid guarantee for safe and precise construction under complex geological conditions.
The birth of this industry record not only fully verifies the excellent adaptability and reliability of the "Tiangong" under ultra deep and complex geological conditions, but also highlights the leading position of NHI in the design, manufacturing, and construction services of key equipment for large-scale pumped storage.
As of October 29th, the cumulative excavation depth has reached 194.371 meters, laying a solid foundation for the planned production and power generation of Songyang Pumped Storage Power Station in 2027.