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Middle East
Kuwait Ministry of Works
Joseph Gallagher Ltd
Kuwait faced an urgent need to expand its capacity for wastewater treatment - to treat sewage but also to create fresh water and compost for its growing population and industry.
The ambitious Umm Al Hayman Wastewater Treatment Project was the result - one of the world’s largest wastewater schemes. The $1.6bn project comprises a new water treatment plant and a network of sewers and pumping stations and has transformed Kuwait’s water infrastructure.
Running at top capacity the project is designed to process 700,000 cubic metres of water per day - enough to fill 233 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The construction of such an ambitious project also involved a series of civil engineering firsts and innovations including the longest pipejacked sea outfall in the Middle East.
Working closely with construction partner Joseph Gallagher, OTB Engineering was engaged to deliver a series of workstreams.
OTB’s first task was focusing on the sea outfall:
- Design of the shaft required to construct the outfall tunnel into the Persian Gulf.
- OTB assessed the jacking forces that would be encountered during the outfall construction and, working with JGL defined the number of interjacks that would be required to enable the tunnel to go out into the sea.
Working with a local pilot contractor, OTB delivered a detailed design for a secant piled shaft. Deploying an innovative and efficient approach, OTB recommended a circular shaft using hoop stresses which removed any need for any temporary propping. OTB Engineering was successful on this project due to its focus on practical design, its flexibility in delivery and its deep experience of international collaboration. By collaborating closely with contractors JGL, OTB ensured its designs reflected the client’s requirements and balanced those with the local availability of skilled resources and appropriate materials.
It’s always thrilling to be a part of a major country-shaping infrastructure job, particularly one where the OTB team can combine their experience and expertise with constructing an award-winning ‘first’ for a market.
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