After a musical welcome by the Ruhrkohle Choir, the programme director Dr. Stefan Mirschel (TenneT) and Dr. Thorsten Weiner, technical division manager for tunnelling in Germany at PORR, addressed the guests, followed by a welcome address on energy policy by Tobias Goldschmidt, Minister for Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Nature of the State of Schleswig-Holstein.
The ceremony began with the representatives of the region laying commemorative coins at the statue of St. Barbara as a way of conveying their good wishes. Among those offering their congratulations were the tunnel patron Jette Waldinger-Thiering, Delf Bolten, Mayor of Wewelsfleth, as well as Bernd Tietje, Mayor of Wischhafen.
The ceremony reached its high point with the christening of the tunnel boring machine and the tunnel. After TenneT employee Julia Andresen named the tunnel boring machine ELSA, Jette Waldinger-Thiering, Vice President of the Schleswig-Holstein Parliament, named the tunnel the ‘Jette Tunnel’ by unveiling the nameplate.
The unveiling of the Barbara statue marked the festive conclusion of the event. She is said to protect tunnel construction experts in their work and continue to avert dangers from the construction site.
