Turin-Lyon Tav: the pact for sustainability and future challenges

At this point, however, it is necessary to take a step back and recall that, within the space of a week, the Turin-Lyon Tav has received two pieces of news of opposite sign. One went from the satisfaction that accompanies good news to a realistic acknowledgement of the far from positive evolution of accounts and prospects. On Wednesday 17 July 2024, the European Commission had announced the allocation of funding for projects linked to the Connecting Europe Facility programme allocating EUR 700 million to the construction of the cross-border section of the new high-capacity railway between France and Italy. The following Friday, Telt's board of directors ratified the cost increase together with the need to postpone the completion of the work to the end of 2033. In comparison with a certified expenditure forecast of 8.6 billion euros, this comes to 11.1 billion, an increase of almost 30%. It should be specified that this is the total cost of the work, for which there is an EU contribution covering about half of the value between design and execution.

Returning to the Paris event, a paper was also circulated for the occasion, written jointly by companies and clients, which identifies the good practices already in place on construction sites and launches 8 new operational challenges on which companies will be measured in the coming months. In addition to compliance with the environmental management system and a commitment to safeguarding the territory, biodiversity and natural resources, the companies on the Turin-Lyon project already have many solutions in place:

1) Technical innovation to improve the safety of workers in underground work, through new prototypes with remote guidance (e.g. Webuild's Axel robot at La Maddalena in Chiomonte and the robot for lining ventilation shafts in Avrieux - Dodin Campenon Bernard);

2) Introduction of eco-responsible systems, using sustainable and energy-saving materials in the construction and operation of site offices;

3) collection and closed-loop management of water and its maximum reuse for site operations (construction, vehicle cleaning, wetting of site roads and cooling of machinery);

4) transparent reporting of sustainability indicators, within the life cycle of the work;

5) Coordination with local authorities to maximise the impact on communities (training of workers, recruitment, hospitality management of workers, etc.).

Looking to the future, the paper sets some important goals. Here they are broken down by macro-themes.

Environment:

increase electric and low-emission construction vehicles by at least 30 per cent to promote decarbonisation and further reduce energy consumption during base tunnel construction;

introduction of at least +10% energy from renewable sources, through the exploitation of geothermal energy and the installation of solar panels;

participation in at least one species protection project proposed by the Public Promoter and signing of the International Convention on Biodiversity.

People:

Introduction of an artificial intelligence system to minimise interaction between workers and heavy machinery by increasing safety standards;

creation of a training area to prepare workers for site activities;

provide workstations with ergonomic facilities for the protection of workers during tunnel lining operations.

Legality:

participation in the creation of an ethics committee of the Lyon-Turin companies with a whistleblowing mechanism common to all construction sites.

Territory:

40 extra hours of training, in addition to the compulsory ones in synergy with local authorities, for workers in order to enhance skills, increase safety and train young workers