On May 18, the assembly of the "Sampaguita" hard-rock tunnel boring machine (TBM) was completed in Changsha, Hunan Province, China. It will be used in the Philippine’s Kaliwa Dam Project, of which Energy China is the EPC contractor. The TBM has an excavation diameter of 4.8 meters, with a total length of 372 meters and a weight of 1,000 tons. It is independently designed and developed by China, with an installed power of 3,800 KW. It changes the traditional construction method of drilling and blasting tunnels, and realizes a safe, environmentally-friendly and efficient excavation under the complex geological conditions of the fault fracture zone.

The background color of the cutter head of the TBM is white, red and blue (same as the colors of the Philippine’s national flag). The pattern is designed as two clasped hands, reflecting the vision of the cooperation between China and the Philippines. "Sampaguita" means jasmine (the national flower of the Philippines), which represents purity, passion, friendship and love.

A 57 million cubic meter reservoir is going to be built near the Kaliwa Dam, which will supply 600 million liters of domestic water for the residents in Metro Manila, and help solve the local water shortage problem.