While Quebec continues to promise a new road link with Lévis, a major manufacturer of reinforcements from Longueuil has been involved for a year in the construction of the longest submerged tunnel in the world.
With a length of 18 km, under the Baltic Sea, the tunnel must connect the islands of Lolland-Falster, in Denmark, south of Copenhagen, to the region of Schleswig-Holstein, in Germany.
The project, valued at 13.5 billion dollars (10 billion euros) in investments, at the very least, was launched in 2021 after years of postponement. Now that construction has begun, the consortium led by BTB and Vinci expects it to be completed in 2029.
Photo courtesy, AGF Group
At the height of construction in the Fehmarn Belt, no less than 750 specialized workers are expected to work under the management of the AGF Group in Denmark.
A big unknown company
For the President of the AGF Group, Serge Gendron, not only is this project the most important in which his company has taken part in its 75-year history, but it is also a new mark of international recognition of the expertise developed over the decades by the family business.
Unknown to the general public, the AGF Group still has 2,500 employees, two dozen factories in 9 countries, and sales of around $700 million. In Quebec, in addition to Longueuil, the company manages activities in Trois-Rivières, Laval, Quebec City and Sherbrooke.
In the major works industry, its reputation is second to none. For example, the company is currently taking part in the work of the REM and the repair of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel. He also participated in the construction of the Samuel-De Champlain Bridge, the completion of Highway 30, as well as the construction of the Dubai, Doha, Lima and Bogota metros.
The company has already participated in more than 40,000 projects around the world. Nevertheless, the fixed link of the Fehmarn Belt – that’s the name of the tunnel – is of particular importance for Mr. Gendron because of its size.
Already, the construction site, built on the Danish shores, alone covers 9 km2. One of the factories that have been built there will be used specifically for the work of cutting, shaping and assembling the rods required for the structure of the tunnel.
Steel needs will be enormous, explains Mr. Gendron, the son of the company’s founder. We are talking about a project involving 349,000 metric tons (MT) of steel, or the equivalent of 26 million kilometers of reinforcing rods.
Photo courtesy, Femern A/S
The gigantic construction sites, at sea and on land.
Ten times the Montreal Olympic Park
By way of comparison, the Champlain Bridge in Montreal only required 20,000 metric tons of steel and the Montreal Olympic Park, a veritable ode to reinforced concrete, only 35,000 MT. The German-Danish tunnel will require ten times more.
“There is nothing equivalent, he sums up. No, not even all the dam projects hosted by the Société de la Baie-James over the years. »
At the height of production, no less than 750 specialized workers will work under the orders of around twenty engineers and superintendents from the AGF Group.
As here, Mr. Gendron expects that the workforce will not be easy to recruit. Never mind, he remains convinced that his teams will be able to meet the challenge that presents itself and that once completed, this project will make it possible to win other similar projects.
For example, that of the famous third link between Quebec and Lévis? “Well yes, why not?! he replies, his eyes mocking.
– With Francis Halin
The fixed link of the Fehmarn Belt
Length : 18km
Lenght : 40m
Height : 15m
Building cost: 10 billion euros (about $13.5 billion)
Beginning of the roadworks : 2021
End of the works : 2029
The goal: connect Denmark and Germany via a toll tunnel.
Number of channels: 4 road lanes and 2 rail lanes.
Travel time without tunnel: one hour ferry ride or 160 km road detour.
Travel time with tunnel: 10 min by car and 7 min by train.
AGF GROUP
Foundation : 1948
The head office : Longueuil
Employees : 2500 workers
Presence : 22 factories, in 9 countries
Turnover: $700 million
Annual production capacity: 578,400 metric tons of reinforcing steel
Source: AGF Group