The proposed Bohai Strait tunnel is a challenging project, and penetration rate of tunnel boring machine (TBM) is one of the keys. This paper made a contrast between the Clem Jones tunnel in Australia and the Bohai Strait tunnel,and introduced the specific energy used in the Clem Jones tunnel. During the construction of the Clem Jones tunnel, researchers made the analysis and forecasted about the TBM's penetration rate using the specific energy, which was identical to the practical construction very well. This paper concluded that the specific energy can be used in the Bohai Strait tunnel as well as the Clem Jones tunnel,which was based on the comparative analysis of the Clem Jones tunnel and Bohai Strait tunnel.