The world's deepest climate control system

26 December 2011 - New contracts - France

On 11 October 2011, off the Tetiaroa atoll to the north of Tahiti (French Polynesia), Geocean, a subsidiary of Entrepose Contracting (VINCI Construction), installed, at a depth of 960 m, the main section (1,750 m) of a pipe destined to supply the SWAC (sea water air conditioning) system of a new hotel complex, thus setting a new world depth record for an operation of this type.

With a total length of some 2,600 m, and 450 mm in diameter, this pipe will be able to collect sea water at a temperature of 5°C. It will be linked up with the other sections, enabling it to be connected with the installations located on the atoll, in the course of the next few weeks. In order to be able to position the pipe in the lagoon, Geocean has developed an underwater digger, remote-controlled from the surface and capable of operating at a depth of 50 m.