An exceptionally strong field of entries has led ISTT to reveal the top three finalists in three award categories ahead of International No-Dig Auckland 2026 and ISTT's 40th Anniversary
October 2026
For the first time in the history of the No-Dig Award, the International Society for Trenchless Technology (ISTT) is announcing finalists before the winners are revealed. Until now, ISTT has made only the winners public. This year, however, the number and quality of entries were such that the judges felt the top submissions deserved to be recognized individually for their excellence.
Presented below are some of this year's finalists. Winners in these categories – and in the other No-Dig Award categories – will be announced at International No-Dig Auckland 2026, held at the New Zealand International Convention Center (NZICC) from 27 to 29 October as part of ISTT's 40th Anniversary.
Together, the nine finalists below come from six countries across three continents, and span every stage of the trenchless story – from new tools and lower-carbon materials to landmark installations and the renewal of aging networks.
The finalists in each category are listed in no particular order.
Finalists at a Glance
New Technology
- Recoverability by Design: The AdaptX Collapsing Retractable Reamer
OptionX Group (Australia) - E-Power Pipe with Backreaming MTBM for Small-Diameter Utility Installation
Herrenknecht AG (Germany) - Relining with Fossil-Free PVC
Swietelsky-Faber GmbH and A-Plast (Germany)
Trenchless Project (New Installations)
- Jansz-Io – A Critical HDD Project
HDI Lucas / Spiecapag (Australia) - Construction of the New Montague Gardens Bulk Sewer
CSV Construction (Pty) Ltd (South Africa) - INELFE Biscay Bay – HVDC Interconnection between France and Spain
BESSAC | HDI (France)
Trenchless Project (Rehabilitation)
- Setting the Benchmark: Global Excellence in Extra-Large Profile Renovation
IMPREG GmbH (Belgium) - CIPP Rehabilitation for Railway Infrastructure
RELINE EUROPE GmbH & SWIETELSKY-FABER GmbH (Germany) - Ōrākei Main Sewer Response and Recovery
WSP (New Zealand)
Category: New Technology
Recoverability by Design: The AdaptX Collapsing Retractable Reamer
OptionX Group
ASTT (Australasia) | Australia
A patent-pending back reamer that lets the cutter and drive assembly be withdrawn through the installed pipe for inspection, repair, or a cutter change, while the outer drum supports the bore. It brings recoverability to non-man-entry microtunnelling without sending anyone underground.
The AdaptX Collapsing Retractable Reamer. Image: OptionX Group
E-Power Pipe with Backreaming MTBM for Small-Diameter Utility Installation
Herrenknecht AG
GATT (Germany) | Germany
Developed for the expansion of power networks, E-Power Pipe combines small-diameter slurry microtunnelling with product pipe pull-in, suited to unstable, permeable soils where HDD is constrained. A new backreaming MTBM (Ø 790 mm) now allows product pipes of up to 711 mm.
The principle of the E-Power Pipe method. Image: Herrenknecht AG
Relining with Fossil-Free PVC
Swietelsky-Faber GmbH and A-Plast
GATT (Germany) | Germany
BIO-Liner is a close-fit lining system made from bio-based PVC derived from forest residue: styrene-free, PFAS-free and fully recyclable, with a substantially lower carbon footprint. The City of Bochum used it in one of Germany's first municipal projects of its kind in 2026.
BIO-Liner, made from bio-based PVC. Image: Swietelsky-Faber GmbH and A-Plast
Category: Trenchless Project (New Installations)
Jansz-Io – A Critical HDD Project
HDI Lucas / Spiecapag
ASTT (Australasia) | Australia
Critical HDD installations to secure gas supply to Western Australia and extend the life of the Barrow Island LNG facility, all within a Class A Nature Reserve. The project introduced innovations in drilling fluids, fluid mixing and modular, reusable anchor blocks.
HDD works for the Jansz-Io project. Image: HDI Lucas / Spiecapag
Construction of the New Montague Gardens Bulk Sewer
CSV Construction (Pty) Ltd
SASTT (South Africa) | South Africa
A new 4 km bulk sewer replacing a corroded, 60-year-old line, installed mainly by microtunnelling with 20 mm vertical accuracy in highly variable ground. It is the longest pipeline installed by microtunnelling in South Africa to date.
The new Montague Gardens Bulk Sewer under construction. Image: CSV Construction (Pty) Ltd
INELFE Biscay Bay – HVDC Interconnection between France and Spain
BESSAC | HDI
FSTT (France) | France
Cable landfalls for a strategic France–Spain electricity interconnection, crossing protected habitats and major tourist areas. The combined MTBM and HDD strategy included three microtunnel drives in France of 1,203 m, 1,294 m and 1,355 m and 4 HDDs in Spain.
Works for the INELFE Bay of Biscay HVDC interconnection. Image: BESSAC
Category: Trenchless Project (Rehabilitation)
Setting the Benchmark: Global Excellence in Extra-Large Profile Renovation
IMPREG GmbH
GATT (Germany) | Belgium
Three landmark DN 2000 projects demonstrating what extra-large profile CIPP lining can achieve, from rigorous structural analysis and bespoke liner selection to closely synchronized site logistics, supported throughout by IMPREG's field technicians.
Extra-large profile CIPP renovation at DN 2000. Image: IMPREG GmbH
CIPP Rehabilitation for Railway Infrastructure
RELINE EUROPE GmbH & SWIETELSKY-FABER GmbH
GATT (Germany) | Germany
Rehabilitation of a DN 1000 steel wastewater pipeline in Gifhorn using Alphaliner RL, the first UV-cured CIPP liner approved by German railway authorities for railway load zones. The liner was installed and cured in a single day while trains kept running.
Alphaliner RL rehabilitation beneath railway infrastructure in Gifhorn. Image: RELINE EUROPE GmbH & SWIETELSKY-FABER GmbH
Ōrākei Main Sewer Response and Recovery
WSP
ASTT (Australasia) | New Zealand
After Auckland's 114-year-old Ōrākei Main Sewer collapsed in 2023, the team built a 600 L/s bypass within 20 days, then renewed the 2.3 m egg-shaped sewer by GRP segmental sliplining, giving it a 100-year design life without open-cut replacement.
Renewal of the Ōrākei Main Sewer, Auckland. Image: WSP
What Happens Next
The winners in all No-Dig Award categories will be revealed in Auckland during International No-Dig 2026. ISTT congratulates every finalist and thanks all organizations that submitted entries, as well as the Affiliated Societies that encouraged and supported them. Each entry, shortlisted or not, reminds us how much the trenchless community has to be proud of as ISTT marks 40 years.
Event Details
| Event: | International No-Dig Auckland 2026 |
| Occasion: | ISTT's 40th Anniversary |
| Dates: | 27–29 October 2026 |
| Venue: | New Zealand International Convention Center (NZICC), Auckland, New Zealand |
About the No-Dig Award
The ISTT No-Dig Award recognizes outstanding achievement in trenchless technology, from new technologies to new installation and rehabilitation projects, submitted through ISTT's Affiliated Societies around the world.