VINCI Construction’s niche expertise is recognised worldwide, and its Specialty Networks’ operations are spread across some 100 countries. Their total revenue grew by 4.3% to €4.8 billion in 2024.
Soletanche Bachy (46% of revenue) maintained high business volumes after several years of strong growth, as well as a healthy order book, thanks in particular to the Grand Paris Express (Line 15 East) in France, several jobs in Hong Kong and a number of port construction projects in Latin America.
It has applied its expertise in foundations and soil technologies to a wide range of projects. In transport infrastructure: the High Speed 2 rail line in the UK (more than 200 structures over a five-year period); the cross-city rail tunnel under Łódź, in Poland; Bogotá’s first metro line, one of the largest rail projects under way in Colombia; extension of the Toulouse metro system in France; and numerous ongoing projects, most notably in Singapore and Lima, Peru. In port infrastructure and maritime works, carried out under the ForSHORE brand: construction of a pier for a new specialised terminal in the port of Veracruz, Mexico; a jetty and two quays on the island of Grand Bahama. In water and energy infrastructure: in the US, upgrading of the Red Bluff dam in Texas (foundations sealed by a grout curtain to a depth of 60 metres); in Canada, overhaul of the Nairn Falls hydroelectric generating station (construction of an upstream cofferdam and a trestle bridge); in France, the new rainwater retention basin at Clichy-sous-Bois, north-east of Paris, and the new Inelfe electricity interconnection between France and Spain (construction of four landfall chambers with three shafts and four microtunnels in synergy with VINCI Energies and Civil Engineering France). Lastly, in industrial and residential building projects: foundations for the energy conversion and battery storage plant in Thurrock (Essex), UK; the Yip On housing complex in Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong; and dismantling, earthworks and supporting structures for the new Bel Air building complex, on a steep mountainside in Monaco.
Menard (17% of revenue), which specialises in soil investigation, improvement and remediation, enjoyed a particularly brisk year, posting 20% growth. Business in soil improvement was very strong in North America, Australia and several European countries (notably Germany and the UK). Activity was driven by numerous building projects, such as the Paragon real estate programme in California, as well as infrastructure projects (port of Genoa in Italy, Eraring Ash Dam in Australia, Woodfibre LNG facility in Canada). Business in soil investigation, carried out under the ConeTec brand, was bolstered by the acquisition of Geotech Drilling Services Ltd. in western Canada. Business in soil remediation, under the Remea brand, grew in France and the UK, as two new soil treatment plants came online in 2024.
Terre Armée (7% of revenue) continued to grow, driven by strong business activity in the US and Asia. A specialist in soil-structure interaction (engineered backfills, retaining walls and precast arches), the company further expanded its industrial base, notably by setting up a facility in India to manufacture drainage products. It has been involved in a wide range of projects, including improvement of interstate highways I-95 (Maryland) and I-35E (Texas) in the US; the Gordie Howe International Bridge in Ontario, which connects Canada with the US (Terre Armée retaining walls); the South32 mine project in Australia (installation of the largest precast concrete arch in the southern hemisphere); the marshalling yard for a rail node in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India; the geothermal power plant at Lumut Balai Unit 2, Indonesia (slope stabil- isation and protection).
Freyssinet (19% of revenue), a specialist in structures, reported stable sales. Sustained business activity in the UK, Central and Northern Europe, Mexico, Argentina, Australia and Asia, as well as on large-scale projects, offset a slight slowdown in France. It was mainly involved in repairs on existing structures, which included the renovation of the Perret tower in Grenoble (south-east France), with teams from the Building France division, and the refurbishment of the Pont de Sully bridge in Paris; structural reinforcement of Line 2 of the Monterrey metro in Mexico; repairs on the siphon of a hydroelectric dam on the Nam Ngum river in Laos, using low-carbon concrete; and retro-fitting of the foundations of two secondary schools in Potenza, southern Italy, with high-damping isolators, as part of a seismic strengthening plan for critical infrastructure in the country. In new construction, the main projects included the nuclear power stations at Hinkley Point (HPC) in the UK and at Rooppur in Bangladesh (prestressing systems for reactor buildings); in Australia, the Sydney Gateway project near the city’s main airport (construction and launching of a metal bridge over a canal); in Mexico, a 3.4 km viaduct for the Tren Maya rail line in Playa del Carmen (precasting and assembly of beams and pier heads) and a cable-stayed bridge on the Mexico–Toluca intercity line. In Canada, Freyssinet also delivered an advanced Carpi-brand geomembrane waterproofing solution designed to protect critical structures from water infiltration and seismic movements, for a hydroelectric dam on the Peace river, as part of the Site C Clean Energy project.
Over 200 engineering structures built by Soletanche Bachy for the High Speed 2 project in the United Kingdom.
