Sierra de la Espada Hydraulic Tunnel

The plans for the improvement of water supply in southeastern Spain, a region experiencing cyclic draughts, contemplated the development of different actions. One of them was the Ebro river transfer in the community of Aragon, consisting in an enormous infrastructure running for 914 km. GPO contributed to the design of one of the sections of this project, located in the area of Molina Segura in the community of Murcia. One of the main challenges was the need to maximize energy efficiency, which required the design of a tunnel to pass through Sierra de la Espada mountain area. The 4,75m-diameter tunnel was conceived for hydraulic use and runs through the zone of marls and calcareous rocks in Sierra de la Espada (300m above sea level).