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Political
There is a dispute between the construction companies over a partial order from the Brenner-Bassitunnel (BBT). Any further delay in the construction of the BBT is unacceptable, LH Günther Platter (ÖVP) and his colleague from South Tyrol Arno Kompatscher declared on Thursday.
The dispute between the company that installs the Brennero Base Tunnel (BBT SE) and a consortium led by the Porr Group for a partial order worth 966 million euros provokes outrage in the state of Tirol and South Tyrol. The dispute apparently revolves around incorrectly sized outer rings of the tunnel shaft.
According to media reports, the BBT board is supposed to propose at the supervisory board meeting in Vienna that the contract with the H51 Pfons-Brenner consortium be terminated. According to experts, the last announced end date of 2030 could shake this up. The consortium (Porr and two Italian construction groups) is building the 37-kilometer heart of the main tunnel. Construction began in late fall 2018 and construction time was estimated at 74 months. The net volume of orders is 966 million euros.
State governors demand a solution from companies
Construction company Porr says the technical requirements for this were incorrectly projected in the tender. Porr boss Karl-Heinz Strauss wrote to BBT’s supervisory board, which also includes representatives from the Ministry of Transport and ÖBB. It considers that the threat of termination of the contract is a “serious step that is not justified by anything”.
“The threats of delays in the construction of the BBT of several years are unacceptable to us. As politicians, it is not our job to interfere with operational business. However, one thing is certain: any delay comes at the expense of the traffic-ridden Tyrolean and South Tyrolean population, ”said Platter and Kompatscher. Therefore, both parties, both the contractor and BBT SE, would have to find a solution “so that the construction can finish as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
NEOS also demanded clarification from the companies involved, because massive additional costs and construction delays are now feared. His party had warned about this months ago, according to NEOS member of the state parliament Andreas Leitgeb. NEOS wants a statement from the BBT board after the oversight board meeting: “The public has a right to know what happens to their tax money,” Leitgeb said.
IV wants a technically and financially sound solution
In times of economic crisis, it is incomprehensible to finish a lot of work already awarded with a volume of around one billion euros and to put it out to tender again, explained the Federation of Industry (IV) in a broadcast. Rather, everyone involved is asked to find a technically and financially sound solution so that construction works can be fully resumed as soon as possible. Hundreds of direct and indirect jobs are at stake in the construction industry and in the upstream and downstream areas, which are urgently needed in the current labor market situation, according to IV.
