150 kilometers east of the capital Quito, the Coca river is created from the confluence of the Quijos and Consanga rivers. The plan is to use the water of the Coca river  to produce 1,500 megawatts of hydropower in the "Coca Codo Sinclair Hydropower Project". The government of Ecuador pursues an ambitious strategy to increase the share of hydropower in the country's energy budget from currently 45 percent to around 90 percent in the coming years.

Two Herrenknecht Double Shield TBMs were driving a total of 24.5 kilometers of the inflow tunnel that will drain water from the confluence of the Quijos and Consanga rivers to a reservoir. From the reservoir, the water in parts will flow through vertical headrace tunnels to the turbines and then back into the Coca river. The Double Shields installed segments in the tunnel which are made of moulds produced by Herrenknecht Formwork GmbH.

After the launch in September and October 2012, the two machines worked their way through the rock of the Andes with outstanding performances. After peak performances of up to 268.20 meters per week, the successfull breakthroughs were celebrated by the jobsite teams on February 4, 2015 and April 7, 2015.