Halcrow is leading the tender design team for the feasibility review and detailed design of the Rudbar Lorestan Hydropower Project in Iran.

The site is located in the Zagros mountains in western Iran, in a seismically active area. The project involves a 158m high concrete dam, river diversion, access and headrace tunnels, a surface steel penstock and a 450MW surface powerhouse.

The tunnels have to cross a major active fault along which potential displacements of up to 4m can be estimated. Ground investigations, including in situ testing of the limestone rock in test adits, were undertaken to provide information for scheme option review and detailed design.