Considered as the largest project at the Canal since its original construction, this Canal Expansion project will create a new lane of traffic along the Canal through the construction of a new set of locks, doubling the waterway’s capacity.
The main objective of this Expansion Program is to increase capacity to meet demand growth with enhanced customer service. Additionally, the Expansion will double the Canal’s capacity, having a direct impact on economies of scale and international maritime trade. It will also help maintain the Canal’s competitiveness and the value of the maritime route through Panama.
The WEG solution offered to this project includes a package of over 60 electric motors, which will drive state-of-the-art gearboxes to move 16 sliding gates (30 meters high, 60 meters long and 10 meters wide and weighing 4,000 tons each) operating from concrete recesses located perpendicular to the lock chambers. This third set of locks project that counts on 16 sliding gates is the most important component of the Expansion Program. It entails the construction of the two new lock complexes in the Pacific and Atlantic sides of the Panama Canal, creating a third lane of traffic for bigger ships up to 14,000 TEU´s.
