In 2012, Somague restored infrastructure and furniture for schools and institutions, provided them with computer equipment and HVAC and helped to distribute clothing and toys. It has also developed other forms of community support, including support for the Lucrécia Paim Maternity Hospital and the Paediatric Hospital in Bié.

The construction of a new school, the Regedor Faustino Alfredo primary school, a gift to the community of Catumbela, was the main social responsibility project developed by Somague Angola in 2012.

Work carried out:

• Construction of school building with 10 classrooms, toilets, director’s office, staff room and storage;
• Construction of wall and recreation area with benches and water fountain.

Gifts:

• Furniture: tables, chairs, lockers, blackboards, storage cabinets;
• Computer equipment: computers, keyboards, screens and printers.

This new hospital, built by Somague (in consortium), comprises 6 buildings in reinforced concrete  with a gross area of 49,430 m², with a total of 280 inpatient beds, 18,000 m² of covered and uncovered parking with a total of 656 places, a heliport on the roof, and pathways within the hospital grounds.

The work involved the design, licences, earthmoving, retaining walls, reinforced concrete structures, finishings, technical installations (electricity, hvac, hydraulic projects, medical gases, compressed air, pneumatic transport system for clinical samples), sterilisation facilities, kitchen facilities, landscaping, commissioning and certifications.

Somague Concessões is part of the Escala Vila Franca de Xira consortium (51%) which will now be responsible for the management of the new infrastructure.

Today the Somague Consortium, formed by Somague Engenharia and Neopul (a group company that operates in the field of rail infrastructures), signed the contract for two projects with Vale, in Mozambique. Vale is one of the largest mining companies in the world and is responsible for operating the coal mine in Moatize. The two contracts now awarded correspond to the upgrading of the rail infrastructure and superstructure of the Nacala line, with a length of approximately 600 km, in the so-called Nacala Corridor.

The Nacala Corridor project aims to develop a logistics solution for the expansion of the Moatize mine, in the province of Tete. This rail corridor has a total length of 912 km and connects the Moatize mine, 20 km northeast of Tete, to the Port of Nacala-a-Velha, on the coast of the Indian Ocean, passing through Malawi. The Nacala Corridor will have a capacity to handle 18 million tons of coal per year.

The time for completion of the two sections which are the subject of the contracts now signed is 22 months (sections 6 + 7.1) and 17 months (section 7.2), a total contract period of 34 months, and the total contract value is USD 228,062,961.

He replaces José Luís Machado do Vale, who had held the position since 2007 and was responsible in part for implementing the company’s internationalisation strategy. Due to his dynamic influence over the last five years, international business will represent 83% in 2013. The Board of Directors thanked José Luís Machado do Vale for all his work as chairman of Somague, wishing every success in the personal projects on which he is now embarking.

Rui Vieira de Sá, who had been a Director of Somague, graduated in Civil Engineering in 1977, the year in which he joined Somague as Head of Services for the Pocinho Dam project. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since 1997, having also held positions such as Director of Production, Commercial Director, Chairman of Somague Brasil, and Chief Executive Officer of Somague Itinere - Concessões de Infraestruturas, S.A..

The Board of Directors of Somague Engenharia will now have the following executive members:

Rui Vieira de Sá – Chairman

Miguel Peña – CEO

Luis Patrício – CFO

José Ferreira Teixeira – Director International Production.

The rail link was opened yesterday, thus completing the cycle of Spanish investment to establish the TGV link with France. The train that inaugurated the line between Barcelona-Sants and Figueras-Vilafant carried the head of government, Mariano Rajoy, Prince Felipe of Spain and the president of the government of Catalonia, Artur Mas.

Following the conclusion of the design and construction phase, Neopul will now start the maintenance phase for a period of 36 months, also for ADIF.

The parties in the joint venture (ACE) are: NEOPUL 38.25%, Isolux 39.25%, Emte 22.50%.

The Hotel will initially have a floor area of 2,170 m², the total area of the plot being 466.08 m². Somague will also be responsible for the development of the final architectural and engineering designs.

The new Container Terminal will combine the advantages of a deep water location with up to date container handling equipment, generating the first modern container transhipment hub in West and Central Africa, capable of handling today’s larger container ships.

The new basin and its respective Terminal will be designed to receive container ships with a capacity of 14 000 TEU, length up to 400 m, beam up to 51.2m and draft up to 15.5m.

The stock stacking area of the Terminal will be prepared to receive up to 6 levels of full containers.

The terminal will result in the expansion of Togo’s maritime sector, stimulate competition in the regional shipping and logistics market and potentially catalyze further regional integration.

The Project comprises the execution of an in-land basin, 1,250m long by 250m wide, dredged to -16.60m ZP, bordered by a northern quay structure, 1,050m long, and a southern slope, 1,270m long.

Various Terminal features are included within the Civil Works scope:

Quay structures | The northern quay structure will be equipped with gantry crane rails and the associated support structure, as well as the necessary quay furniture to allow safe berthing of container vessels.

Basin | The basin will be dredged to -16.60m ZP (final design level, which includes dredging of clay layer between -12 and -16.60m). The western end of the basin, where mooring will not be required, will be protected by a revetment structure, 250m long. To allow the access of vessels in the basin, from the east, an existing breakwater will be demolished and reconstructed locally at the interfaces with the north and south quay structures.

Terminal | The Terminal, in total of 525,000m2, will require filling works of 1,000,000m3 to raise the existing site level to +4.5m ZP. Each terminal zone will require paving according to specific operational requirements.

The total value of the contract is USD 45 million and its completion deadline is approximately 17 months. The technical and human resources involved in this project will mainly be provided by Somague.

Porth Berth and Causeway Construction

This deep-draught port to be built by Somague envisages the execution of various projects, including some required even before construction of the infrastructure begins. A temporary dock is needed to unload construction materials and equipment as well as to access the port site over land. This will allow the initial earthworks to be carried out and will facilitate port area construction.

Module Offloading Facility – MOF

The Module Offloading Facility (MOF) will be constructed as a temporary construction berth to integrate the pioneering berth and the permanent Commodity / Construction Berth, facilitating offloading from barges to support early site construction activity.

A protection Bund (temporary breakwater) will be required to shelter the MOF from the prevailing waves. Access to the MOF will be along the protection bund and landfill to caissons. Once the caissons have been placed, barges will be able to offload at the MOF.

Molhe de proteção da MOF

The MOF berth, consisting of concrete caissons backfilled with rock material, will remain functional at all times during the construction of the Causeway / Breakwater and the permanent Commodity / Construction Berth.

The MOF will be constructed from offshore using hopper barges and flat barges with excavators and/or wheel loaders. Giving the early stage of the project, the required protection bund and the caissons backfill material will be imported to site.

Somague will be responsible for providing the materials needed for construction of the MOF, which will be constructed from offshore, using hopper and flat barges with excavators and/or wheel loaders.

Quebra-mar

The proposed port structure of the Project includes a rock-filled Causeway / Breakwater to provide access to the deep-sea berths. The causeway, extending approximately 138 meters from the shore, will support the concentrate and coal conveyor galleries and provide an access road for maintenance equipment and personnel.

Cais de mercadorias

The Commodity / Construction Berth will be located in a sheltered area protected by the Causeway / Breakwater and will provide mooring and berthing capability for up to 10,000 DWT cargo ships and 6,000 DWT fuel barges, as well as the capability for Roll-on/Roll-off operation.

The port, which is expected to enter into operation in 2016, will provide Minera Panama with an outlet for the copper and other minerals extracted from the 13,000 hectare concession that the Panamanian government has granted to this Canadian company.

The new terminal is able to receive LNG ships of up to 215,000 m³, can store 2 x 120,000 m³ + 1 x 150,000 m³ of LNG at -163 ºC (reducing its volume 603 times) and can generate basic regasification (84 Barg) of 900,000 m³(n)/h and a maximum of 1,350,000 m³(n)/h.

“The Sines LNG Terminal Expansion Project” ran from 1 May 2009 to 2 May 2012 and was a total all-inclusive revisable price contract. Amongst others, this included the following services: Research, Design, Engineering, Insurance, Manufacture, Transport, Supplies, Preparation of Site and Access Routes, Construction, Assembly, Spare Parts, Pre-Commissioning, Commissioning, Interconnection with the existing terminal and Training of REN Atlântico staff.

The Secretary of State for Energy, Artur Trindade, performed the inauguration ceremony on 24 September. Also present were the Chairman of REN, Rui Cartaxo, João Faria da Conceição, a member of the REN Board, the Mayor of Sines, Manuel Coelho, the Chair of APS, Lídia Sequeira, and the Chair of the Sines Terminal 21, amongst other important figures. Somague was represented by Miguel Peña, João Salvador and Nuno Gonçalves.

This is the third municipal hospital that Somague Angola has been responsible for, the first two being the Samba and Cazenga Hospitals.

Somague has been involved in the remodelling and expansion works at the 4 de Fevereiro Airport, most recently being responsible for this new terminal. This included erection of a temporary terminal, demolition of the existing terminal and construction of the new terminal, which covers 8,200 m² over two floors + mezzanine, and involved 32 M USD.

Catumbela International Airport, in Angola’s Benguela Province, was inaugurated on 27 August by the President of the Republic, José Eduardo dos Santos.

Somague played a part in the airport’s construction, by being responsible for the finishing works contracts at the International Departures and Arrivals Terminal and the control tower, among others, in the amount of 68 M USD. The work was carried out for Odebrecht.

Another contract was signed with ENANA, Empresa Nacional de Exploração e Navegação Aérea de Angola, for the installation of low-voltage equipment, counter equipment, X-rays, sleeves, transporters, furniture and the air navigation system and for project coordination and management, in the amount of 54 M USD.

The President of the Republic welcomed the students and group of volunteers who are participating in the “Vocações de Futuro” project, which is promoted by Entrepreneurs for Social Inclusion (EPIS) and seeks to combat educational underachievement.

Click here to see photos:

http://www.somague.pt/site/galeria_album.asp?lg=pt&id_ficheiro_galeria=4199&id_album=66&id_tipo=1&snet=1

Besides Catumbela airport, Somague has also been involved in the refurbishment and expansion of 4 de Fevereiro Airport in Luanda, having been awarded the contract for the Domestic Flights Terminal: erection of a provisional terminal, demolition of the existing terminal and construction of the new terminal with 8,200 m2 of construction on 2 floors + mezzanine, worth USD 32 million.

These two projects strengthen Somague's portfolio in Angola, which is already worth around USD 400 million.

The works contract includes earthmoving, special foundations, geotechnologies, reinforced concrete and metal structures, installations, underground excavation, layout and landscaping.

The project, with a total duration of 19 months, is included in the development plan for the public transport network of the metropolitan region of the city of São Paulo.

With this new contract, Somague extends and consolidates its operations in Brazil, a market in which it has been present since 1997, operating in various areas of the construction (public and private) and environmental markets.

The prize, which was awarded in recognition of the total lack of accidents during the construction of the Tavira Substation, was presented by the REN Board of Directors on Friday 18 May at the 7th Technical Session on Safety, in Lisbon.

Congratulations go out to the entire team involved in the works, safety and production.

The future Data Center will include four identical technical blocks to be used for Intelligence Technologies/White Spaces – data storage rooms – and a service block for support services – offices, storage and undercover parking.

There are also plans to include two gateways, an electrical substation and an area for fuel tanks within the space enclosed by the Data Center.

The contract includes earthmoving works, construction of foundations and structures, architecture, electrical installations, water and sewage, security, mechanical installations and refrigeration systems.

The award came after a highly competitive and complex tender process launched by Portugal Telecom.

• Águas de Mandaguahy, the concession for the supply of drinking water to the city of Jaú, for a 20-year term, serving a population of 131,000 inhabitants;
• Sanear, the wastewater concession (70% of the wastewater of the city of Araçatuba) from 1996 for a 15-year term, serving 183,000 inhabitants.

The contract has now been signed for the Águas de Votorantim concession, which will be the largest concession (water and sewage) of the State of São Paulo  since implementation of the regulatory framework (equivalent to the Portuguese Law on Basic Sanitation). The purpose of this concession is to provide the municipal public services of water supply and sanitation, which includes the construction, operation and maintenance of the units which make up the physical, operating and management systems for the production and distribution of water and the collection, removal, treatment and disposal of sewage. This also covers management of the organizational systems, marketing of the products and services involved and services to consumers. The concession is for a term of 30 years, with an estimated investment value of R$ 93 million and an estimated income of R$ 750 million.

SGA - Sistemas de Gestão Ambiental, Ltda., will have a shareholding equivalent to 40%, with the remaining shares being held by Saneamento Ambiental Águas do Brasil, S.A.

Votorantim is a municipality in the inland area of the state of São Paulo, located within the Metropolitan Region of Sorocaba, some 100 km west of the state capital. It has a population of around 110,000 inhabitants and a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.814, which is considered to be high.

The city of Votorantim became independent from Sorocaba at the end of the 1960s, and the municipality is now the largest cement-producer in Brazil. It also has a favourable geographic location since it is linked by its road network to large national and regional centres, such as São Paulo, Sorocaba and Campinas.

The main works in this first phase of the north extension are a 3,385 metre long berthing pier, a 1,110 metre harbour wall and an embankment for supplies and additional premises covering 17 hectares. 

The Valência Port Authority awarded the contract for these works, totalling 217.7 million euros, to a UTE made up of the following companies: Dragados, Somague Engenharia, Sacyr, Flota Proyectos Singulares, Construcciones y Estudios y Sedesa Obras y Servicios.

The inauguration was also attended by the President of the Government of Aragón, Luisa Fernanda Rudi, the Mayor, Juan Alberto Belloch, and the chairmen of Adif, Enrique Verdeguer, and Renfe Operadora, Julio Gómez-Pomar, as well as the chairman of Sacyr, Javier Gayo, the chairman of SyV, Manuel Manrique, and Miguel Heras, in representation of Neopul.

The new station, which involved investment of more than €44 million, offers the highest standards of access, functionality and sustainability.

It has a passenger building with an area of 561 square metres and a 160 m underground platform. The new station offers passengers direct connections to urban buses and to Line 1 of the tram system.

The design, construction, financing, conservation, maintenance and operation of the new hospital was entrusted to the consortium HAÇOR – Concessionária do Edifício do Hospital da Ilha Terceira, S.A., in a public-private partnership including Somague (40%), Mota-Engil (40%), Marques (10%) and Dalkia (10%).

The new complex, covering a construction area of 50,000 m², will have 236 beds, in double rooms, each with a private bathroom and 45 consulting rooms. The emergency department will operate in three different areas: general emergencies, paediatric emergencies and obstetrics/gynaecology emergencies. The new hospital will also house a Technological Centre, which will provide support to the in-patient and out-patient divisions. The following diagnosis and treatment departments will also be provided: Medical Imaging, Special Examinations and Treatment, Medical Biology, Molecular Biology and Cytogenetics, Haemodynamics and Angiocardiography, Hyperbaric Medicine, Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy.

The total investment for the design and construction was € 61,700,000.00.

The contract, which was signed in July 2008, included Somague providing security for the project, with heavy penalties for failure to comply with the defined criteria. All the objectives were met with no record of lost time incidents, which was one of the criteria included in the contract.

The first milestone was achieved in July 2011, when 1,000,000 hours without a lost time incident were recorded. Somague played an active role in achieving this total, since at that time it was one of the contractors with the largest number of on-site working hours.  The figure of 1,500,000 hours without LTI was reached in September, and the final number on completion of the project was over 2,000,000 hours without LTI, which was recognized as a major achievement by all those involved and to which Somague made a decisive contribution.

The achievement of this feat was marked by the presentation of a trophy on February 29 by representatives of ARTLANT and JACOBS and the Project’s General Director, in recognition of the contribution and effort made by all the companies involved in reaching this goal.

The upgrade of the dam’s hydroelectric power production capacity included a shaft power plant, with a pit around 80 m high and 22 m in diameter, the hydraulic circuit, a support building and substation, the lowering of around two km of the Douro river bed, and landscape restoration throughout the area of intervention. The hydraulic circuit includes a water intake – nozzle with rectangular cross-section, divided by a septum; section for connections and transition to the circular cross-section of the intake tunnel, with an internal diameter of 10.50 m - intake tunnel - cut into rock and with coverage of more than 100 m along most of its 352 m length, of which 45 m are metal-clad (8.5 m internal diameter) and the remainder clad in structural concrete (10.50 m internal diameter) - return and return tunnel - rectangular cross-section underground stretch (12.60 m wide and variable height x 41.60 m) with continuous roof and partly underwater transition structure to river bed for the installation of two cofferdams; 1.5 km river bed lowering and regulating channel.

The power plant will be equipped with a generating set comprising a Francis turbine and an alternator with a rated capacity of 191 MW/212 MVA.

The new Bemposta II hydroelectric power plant will increase the capacity of the existing plant by 80%. This increased capacity guarantees better use of water previously wasted in discharges, reducing dependence on imported fossil fuel and decreasing CO2 emissions. Work started in 2008 and the power upgrade entered into operation at the end of 2011, earlier than the date envisaged.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by the CEO of EDP, António Mexia, local authority representatives, and the Minister Assistant and for Parliamentary Affairs, Miguel Relvas. Somague was represented by its CEO, José Machado do Vale, together with the teams involved in the project.

The Portuguese Construction Technology Platform was presented to the public on 23 November, at the LNEC (National Civil Engineering Laboratory). Its aims are to improve the competitiveness of Portuguese construction in markets that are highly protected or have competition from foreign companies with lower costs; to coordinate and respond collectively; to improve, industrialise or innovate construction methods; to avoid wasting experience and knowledge; to master technologies that can be differentiating factors; to consider synergies in technological services that can be shared in markets and to improve the international recognition of Portuguese construction.

For further information: http://www.ptpc.org.pt

The ceremony was attended by some of Angola’s top dignitaries, including the President of the Republic, José Eduardo dos Santos, the Minister for Higher Education and Science and Technology, Maria Cândida Teixeira and the Minister for Urban Affairs and Housing, Fernando Alberto Lemos Soares da Fonseca. Representing Somague was the Chairman of the Board of Directors, José Machado do Vale, together with the Somague Angola team.

The library building, which is considered to be the University’s showcase, is made up of 4 floors above ground measuring 350 m², and a 15000 m² basement. The fourth floor covers an area of 900 m² and the slabbing is pre-stressed in order achieve 35 m of free span.

This prize, awarded by Heidrick & Struggles in partnership with Diário Económico, has an Advisory Board with specialists in sustainability and public figures known for their work in this area, including Alberto Castro from UCP, António Mexia, from EDP, António Gomes Mota, from ISCTE Business School, Luis Rochartre, from BCSD, Vasco de Mello, from Brisa, Vítor Gonçalves, from ISEG, and Zeinal Bava, from the PT Group.

The award ceremony took place this morning in Lisbon, José Luís Machado do Vale, the Chairman of Somague, accepting the prize in person. As in previous years, the symbol of sustainability chosen for the trophy presented was an olive tree.

This unprecedented concert took place on 1 July, with performances by Rui Veloso, Rodrigo Leão & Cinema Ensemble and The Gift.

The Somague floating dock was set up between Ribeira and Cais de Gaia, having left the Port of Leixões that morning.

The representative of the project commissioner, FUNDOR, highlighted the fact that the habitation licences were obtained three months earlier than planned, an important factor for a project that has faced so many challenges.

The PPP for the construction of Braga Hospital has been a permanent challenge for the technical, business and financial capacities of Somague and the other members of the consortium (Edifer and MSF), from the initial stages of the tender, which began in January 2005, to the signing of the Management Contract on 9 February 2009, and from then on until the present.

Despite a very demanding overall period of execution – 27 months –, the last two months of which were for testing, this infrastructure was concluded within the deadline set out in the contract and for the price established therein.

The cooperation between the different public and private entities involved in this undertaking was also essential, with the permanent cooperation with the Establishment Managing Body, which has now been operating this new infrastructure since 9 May, being particularly important.

Key figures

The gross construction area is 102,403m² (roughly two and a half times the area of the previous hospital) and is spread over 6 floors. It includes:

In-patients

• 705 beds
• Operating division with 9 operating theatres
• Maternity division with 8 rooms
• Obstetrics division
• Multi-purpose intensive care unit
• Neo-natal intensive care unit
• Neurocritical intensive care unit

Out-patients

• Out-patients division with 3 rooms
• 60 consulting rooms
• Additional methods for diagnosis and support treatment for all clinical specialties.

Braga Hospital also has 2194 parking spaces, spread over 3 car parks, a heliport and a pharmacy, as part of a global construction investment of around € 120 million.  

The Alcântara WTP, the work of a consortium led by Somague (Somague/Edifer/Hidrocontrato), is the biggest infrastructure in the country and brings the entire system into operation, enabling secondary treatment and disinfection of all wastewater from the subsystem of part of the Lisbon Municipality, including the riverside area of Terreiro do Trigo, in Santa Apolónia, and up to Belém, and part of the Municipalities of Amadora and Oeiras.

The full operation of the WTP was guaranteed as part of the adaptation and extension works which began in 2006. Involving an investment of around 70 million euros, this WTP has ventilation and odour treatment equipment with a capacity for 160,000 cubic metres of air per hour, and will benefit 756,000 inhabitants.

Since this infrastructure is located in an urban area, the works ensured the environmental restoration and landscaping of this area by means of a hanging garden.

The construction of the new Alcântara WTP is a massive step towards improving the quality of the water in the Tagus Estuary and the environmental restoration and landscaping of the Alcântara Valley.

The various complementary works carried out in the Alcântara subsystem, in the Municipalities of Amadora and Oeiras and along the Lisbon riverside were also another necessary step in the restoration of the land and, in particular, the Tagus Estuary.

These Municipalities now have global cover by suitable treatment and the corresponding Tagus riverside is free from the influx of wastewater.

As a result of this effort, the people in the Municipalities of Lisbon, Amadora and Oeiras, and Greater Lisbon in general, can now enjoy a progressively improved Tagus river. 

The Olivais Pumping Station was built under the orders of Duarte Pacheco, the Minister for Public Works and Communications at the time, and inaugurated in 1948. Over the years, the conduits began to show signs of deterioration with high levels of damage and wear to electromechanical equipment, for which reason the hydraulic circuit and, subsequently, the equipment needed to be refurbished. Somague responded to the challenge, maintaining the Olivais Pumping Station in full operation throughout the construction, without any interruptions to the water supply to the city of Lisbon.

This project is divided into two different stages, covering the full renovation of each of these areas. The project envisaged construction work, as well as the complete replacement of the hydraulic circuit of the whole Pumping Station, of its electromechanical, electrical and instrumentation and control components, and their external connections, including:

- North and South Technical Galleries with a gross construction area of 600 m², intended to house the equipment and hydraulic circuits upstream and downstream from the Station's pump sets;

- Associated electromechanical and electrical, instrumentation, metering and control equipment;

- Refurbishment of all external circuits;

- Operating and rain water drainage circuits;

- Installation of spiral-welded steel pipes in buried conduits, with a total length of 1.1 km and with varied diameters 150 mm ≤ DN ≤ 1,500 mm, protected by a monitoring system to ensure their preventive maintenace.

The Marão Motorway project includes the engineering, construction, operation and maintenance of a new high-capacity road between Amarante and Vila Real with a length of 30 km. It crosses the municipalities of Amarante and Vila Real, directly benefiting nearly 120,000 inhabitants. It includes the construction of a 5.6 km tunnel, the largest road tunnel in Portugal, which was the solution found to overcome the difficulties posed by the topography along its route.

The delegation travelled by bus from the construction base to the Marão tunnel area, to observe the work being carried out on what is considered the longest road tunnel in Portugal. The Prime Minister again described it as “a historical project that will connect Trás-os-Montes to the country's motorway network and will mark a milestone.”

The Foz Tua development is situated on the river Tua, a right-bank tributary of the river Douro, at around 1.1 km from the confluence of the two rivers. The dam is situated in the municipality of Alijó - district of Vila Real (right bank) and the municipality of Carrazeda de Ansiães - District of Bragança (left bank). Its reservoir will also cover areas of the municipalities of Murça, Vila Flor and Mirandela.

This development will comprise a single dam section with an operating elevation of 170 metres. Two reversible sets are to be installed in the hydroelectric power station, capable of generating a total output of 255 megawatts (MW). The construction work will employ, at its peak, around 1000 people.

The consortium involved in this project is formed by SOMAGUE, Mota-Engil and MSF.

Some features of the project:

- Double-curved concrete arch dam, with a maximum height of 108 m and a crest length of 275 m, located around 1100 m from the mouth of the river Tua. It will have a controlled spillway, bottom outlets and a device for the release of compensation water;

- Underground pit power station, equipped with two reversible sets, with a total output of 251 MW, located on the right bank, around 500 m downstream from the dam, with a discharge and control building on the surface, on a platform located upstream from the right abutment of the Edgar Cardoso road bridge that links the municipalities of Alijó and Carrazeda de Ansiães;

- Underground hydraulic circuit on the right bank with an approximate total length of 700 m, comprising two separate lined tunnels, with internal diameters of between 7.5 m and 5.5 m;

- Compact substation for connection to the National Transmission Grid, with GIS device, situated on the platform of the Power Station discharge and control building.

The project also includes the construction of access roads to the dam crest on the right bank, to the water intakes and to the river pier and tailrace outlets.

A new three-year cycle of investments totalling €47.9M will begin in February.

Following €4.5M of investment in the last two years (2009 and 2010), the company with the concession for the supply of water and drainage of household wastewater for the Municipality of Cascais plans to make several interventions in the Water Supply and Household Wastewater Systems throughout 2011, to the tune of €13M. Outdated networks, increasing consumption, indistinct networks (rainwater together with wastewater), clandestine connections and illegal discharge into the rainwater networks are some of the main reasons that have led to a three-year plan of intervention, in order to solve issues which had already been identified in the past essentially related to pollution of the Municipality’s water lines and the need to extend and improve the water supply conditions in the Municipality’s most sensitive areas.

The first phase of this investment cycle will begin in February 2011, with renewal at five different points in Cascais City Centre and with intervention over two kilometers of the National Highway 6 (Avenida Marginal) between Parede and Carcavelos, in both cases in the household wastewater networks.

With this investment Águas de Cascais hopes to improve the reliability of the water supply and the conditions in which water is provided to the whole of the population of Cascais, and also to strengthen the initiatives which have been carried out as part of the fight against key points of pollution of the Municipality’s water lines, such as unauthorized discharge and illegal connections to the networks.

This new unit will increase the capacity of the National Health Service’s provision of high-quality care to the population of the two Minho districts (Braga and Viana do Castelo).

The new Braga Hospital will have 704 beds, nine general and emergency operating theatres and three outpatient surgery rooms.

It will also have 40 consulting rooms, a maternity block and a Day Hospital for the treatment of areas such as pain, chemotherapy, haemodialysis, psychiatry, infectiology and radiotherapy.

This phase of the contract includes the construction of the structure of this grand development which will have 5 underground levels for parking and technical areas, a shopping centre with 5 floors and two towers, with 25 floors, one of which will be housing and the other offices.

Kinaxixi MXD Complex will have a total construction area of 250,000 m2 and a time period for construction of 2+16 months.

Key characteristics:

Construction area: 250,000 m²

Concrete: 120,000 m³

Steel: 16,600 Ton.

Shuttering: 504,000 m2

Sociedade de Empreitadas Moniz da Maia, Duarte & Vaz Guedes, Lda. was formed in order to bid for the construction of the Castelo do Bode Dam, on the river Zêzere.

The construction was completed within four years, proof of the company' capacity and a vindication of the strategic vision of its founders.

It was from Castelo do Bode that the first major high-voltage transmission grid connected to Lisbon was built, a milestone that was to lead to the general electrification of the whole country.

A gigantic engineering project that involved resources unprecedented at the time in Portugal.

The dam is 115 metres high and the dam reservoir covers an area of 3300 hectares, stretching for 60 kilometres; crest level: 124.3 m; crest length: 402 m.

Besides generating electricity, its three generator sets having a total capacity of 159 MW, Castelo do Bode also supplies drinking water to 80% of the population of Greater Lisbon.

This contract involves the construction of an L-shaped steel-frame building with 6 floors, with a gross area of 9150 m2, for commercial, office and residential use.

The project, with an estimated value of USD 27 million, is due to be completed within 15 months.

A consortium composed of Somague (51%), Quadrante (10%) and Edifer (39%) will be responsible for managing the new infrastructure for the duration of the concession (30 years).

76 million euro have been invested in constructing the hospital with financing being guaranteed by a banking syndicate made up of the Caixa Group, Espírito Santo Group and BANIF for a global sum of  101.6 million euro.

The new hospital will serve a population of 240,000 inhabitants in the municipalities of Vila Franca de Xira, Alenquer, Arruda dos Vinhos, Azambuja and Benavente.

The new hospital will have a site area of 16,529.34 m²C and a gross building area of 69,293.24 m² and will contain 280 beds, 844 parking spaces, 9 operating theatres and 33 consulting rooms.

A detailed presentation of this Project and of the extensive Programme for the Regeneration and Expansion of Cape Verde Ports was given by the Managing Director of ENAPOR, Franklin Spencer (it is to be recalled that the new Port of Sal Rei, on the island of Boavista, will also be built by the Somague Engenharia/MSF Consortium and is funded by the same credit line, the current berthing pier having been built by Somague in 1994).

The visit was accompanied by the Minister of Finance of Cape Verde, Cristina Duarte. Representatives of Somague present included the Chairman of the Board of Directors, José Luís Machado do Vale, and the Head of Institutional Relations, José Paulo Assunção, as well as the Managing Director of CVC, the Somague subsidiary in Cape Verde and subcontractor in this project, José Domingos.

Stage 1 of the Port of Praia, which received €50 million in funding from MCA (Millennium Challenge Account) and the Portuguese State, involves the regeneration of Quay 2, the construction of the Cargo Village and that of the road between the port, the Cargo Village and Praia ring road. It started in September 2008 and will be concluded in September 2010.

Stage 2 of this project, which will receive €72 million in funding exclusively from the Portuguese State, will include the regeneration and expansion of Quay 1 by 233 m, a container park on a sea embankment, the construction of a protective breakwater, dredging to a depth of 12 meters to enable ships to berth, and the container park complex, including an access road, infrastructure and control building. This project, the contract for which will be signed shortly, will start in August 2010 and be concluded in February 2013 and will also be undertaken by the Somague Engenharia/MSF consortium.

The expansion project at the LNG Terminal, which currently satisfies approximately 60% of the demand for natural gas, will allow for a significant increase in its sendout and storage capacity. It is estimated that by the end of the first half of 2012 the Sines Terminal will have the capacity to cater for around 80% of the consumption of natural gas in Portugal, thus gaining increasing strategic importance within the Iberian Peninsula (which currently has 7 of the 15 LNG Terminals that guarantee this energy alternative to gas pipelines) and the future Iberian Gas Market.

Somague led the consortium in charge of these important works.

It uses the knowledge and experience of 24 companies to present distinctive examples of good practices from each company and also describes their systems in general terms, as well as the advantages and difficulties that they felt during the process of implementing an RDI Management System.

With this publication, COTEC offers companies a tool that can contribute to systematic management of innovation, which is also one of the ways of creating value and contributing to the sustainable development of Portugal.

The Secil Engineering Prize was first awarded to Somague in 1997, for the João Gomes Bridge in Funchal. Now, for the third time, and after the prize for the Church of the Holy Trinity in Fátima at the last awards, a project built by Somague under a design-build contract has again been selected by Secil and the Portuguese Association of Engineers.

The Secil Awards are a national event aiming to encourage and promote public recognition of the quality of Portuguese projects using the material that is Secil's core product, cement. 

This new prize-winning project is a structure built on the north bank of the mouth of the river Douro to protect against the direct effects of storm waves and high flood currents, and incorporated more than 65,000 m3 concrete and 2,500 tonnes of steel.

The project commissioner was IPTM, the general conception of the Douro bar interventions was by a design consortium led by Fernando Silveira Ramos. The North Wharf design was developed by Consulmar. The design-build contract was awarded to a consortium formed by Somague and Irmãos Cavaco, while Somague was responsible for the construction of the prize-winning North Breakwater. Rui Vieira de Sá accepted the award on behalf of Somague. It is to be noted that this was the first time the award was given to a maritime construction project.

This event, which is the most important of its kind within the road infrastructures sector, will allow experiences to be shared and solutions to be found, including new strategies for the sector at the beginning of this new century which are capable of meeting society’s ever-growing needs for mobility and transport.

 www.irf2010.com

Speaking to workers, the Prime Minister gave them this message: “I want you to know that this work is important for the country and that you will be making history when you complete the tunnel under the Marão, because from that point on we will no longer refer to “this side of the Marão and the other side of the Marão” and the country will be more united”.

According to the Prime Minister “for the first time Trás-os-Montes has seen justice done and the region is believed to be entitled to the same access to conditions and opportunities as the rest of the country”.

Once completed, the Marão tunnel will be the largest road tunnel in the Iberian Peninsula. The tunnel is composed of two galleries, each of them 5,665m in length, with 13 interconnecting tunnels between the two, 8 of these for pedestrians and 5 for vehicles and pedestrians.  

Somague is part of the construction consortium and the Marão Motorway concessionaire.

 (Photo: Ricardo Oliveira - GPM)

The congress seeks to encourage contact between Portuguese-speaking geotechnical engineers in order to exchange experience within the field of problems connected with sustainable development and energy efficiency. The conception, design, construction, observation, exploration and restoration of geotechnical works will be considered, taking into account the most recent developments in this area.

www.12cng.civil.uminho.pt

This initiative of the Instituto Português do Sangue is aimed at creating reserves in hospitals, which constantly face a shortage of blood in their everyday practice.

This course has been designed to address the fundamental principles and current best practices in underground construction in the urban environment, providing continuing and up-to-date training in this field.

www.spgeotecnia.pt/cptuneis

The Chairman of Somague, José Luis Machado do Vale, was one of the guest speakers on the 4th panel at the conference, on the subject of “The market for major hydropower schemes in Portugal”.

EDP will be investing around 350 million euros in the upgrade of this power station located on the river Rabagão, in the municipality of Vieira do Minho. The launch of the project, which is part of the hydro-energy expansion plan, was marked today – 13 January – in a ceremony to lay the first stone and sign the construction contract, presided over by the Prime Minister, José Sócrates.

This project, which is located on the river’s left bank, takes advantage of two existing reservoirs, created by the Venda Nova and Salamonde dams, and the high elevation of 420m, over an extension of only 4500 metres.

This work is almost exclusively underground, and is composed of several tunnels, shafts, galleries and the power station cavern, which is located approximately 400m below ground and is equipped with two reversible units each of 368 MW, these being the units with the greatest power per unit in Portugal. 

The average gross production is 1273 GWh/year, which corresponds to average net pumping production of 17 GWh/year.