Construction, storage capacity and economics of an underground warehousing-logistics center in Athens, Greece

摘要

Interest in underground development is gaining ground in Greece, particularly in Athens, and is driven mainly by the sorely high land prices and the lack of adequate surface space. This paper focuses on the design of an underground Warehousing-Logistics Center (WLC) in the wider metropolitan area of Athens; the center is developed using the room and pillar mining method. The main concept of the paper is that creating an underground space that can host a particular use is not enough, especially in countries attempting their first steps in underground development. The key point is to prove that such underground facilities can be as functional as a respective surface one and at the same time be economically competitive. Based on this, the underground WLC's layout, storage capacity and operational issues were thoroughly examined. The paper provides cost data regarding the construction cost, as well as the development cost. Furthermore, the project was evaluated by means of an investment plan using the NPV and IRR criteria taking into account the selling of the produced aggregates on the market. The results of the analysis not only underline the feasibility of the plan, but also render it a very attractive investment.