Nakheel announces completion of sub-sea tunnel at The Palm, Jumeirah

28/02/06

Nakheel, the UAE's premier property developer, has announced the successful completion of a sub-sea tunnel at The Palm Jumeirah - located 30 metres below sea bed level the tunnel is the first of such depth to be constructed in the UAE.

The tunnel, which has been designed and created by leading construction company Al Naboodah Engineering Services, connects one of the fronds on the western side of The Palm Jumeirah with the crescent of the island and is one of the two micro tunnels that will be built on the project.

The 750 metre long tunnel, which will carry power supply to all properties at the development, has an external diameter of three metres and is the first micro tunnel of such dimensions to be built for the installation of transmission cable. The 132KV ringmain cables will be interconnected to all high voltage sub-stations of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) within The Palm, Jumeirah and will ultimately connect all low voltage pocket sub-stations.

Abdullah Saeed Al Naboodah, Group Managing Director, Al Naboodah Engineering Services, said: 'We are delighted to be associated with the prestigious Palm, Jumeirah project, which is one of the most impressive engineering feats in the world. The construction of the micro tunnel below the sea bed was indeed a challenging proposition, but we were confident of successfully completing this on time, given our expertise and engineering capabilities.'

Marwan Al Qamzi, Head of Procurement & Contracts, Nakheel, said:

'The completion of the sub-sea tunnel is a major milestone for Nakheel in relation to the overall progress of the infrastructure on The Palm, Jumeirah. This development takes us one step closer to achieving our target of completing Phase One of the project and handing over the properties to owners by the year end.'