“We are thrilled to have received the ENR award for the unprecedented scale of engineering and construction work on Curtis Island in Australia,” said Alasdair Cathcart, president of Bechtel’s Oil, Gas and Chemicals business unit. “This industry recognition is a testament to our talented team who has worked collaboratively with our customers, the excellence of our extensive global supply chain, and the local community in Gladstone. Everyone pulled together to deliver reliable gas liquefaction facilities as well as sustainable local benefits. I congratulate you all on this outstanding achievement.”
Queensland Curtis LNG (a joint venture of QGC - now a Shell-owned business, China National Offshore Oil Corporation and Tokyo Gas), Australia Pacific LNG (a joint venture of ConocoPhillips, Origin and Sinopec), and Santos GLNG (a joint venture of Santos, Petronas, Total, and Kogas) each hired Bechtel to design and build 2-train liquefied natural gas facilities side by side on Curtis Island, off the shore of Queensland, just north of the city of Gladstone. The three simultaneous construction programs are part of the largest concentration of private-capital investment in Australia’s history. Upon completion, the three facilities will produce about 25 mtpa of LNG, the equivalent to powering a city the size of Tokyo and accounting for roughly 8% of global LNG production.
Design and construction of the three plants was a global effort that peaked at over 30,000 people across seven countries on four continents. Execution of the program included direct-hire construction on Curtis Island and modularization of major plant components in Bechtel-operated yards in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. Bechtel achieved best-in-class safety results by delivering innovative safety programs. Safety program on the GLNG facility was recognized by the Australian National Safety Award of Excellence.
Bechtel engaged with the local community and Australian authorities to develop and implement a number of programs targeted at developing Australian craft workforce and increasing local participation in the construction of the Curtis Island LNG plants. These efforts included a program to deliver the largest intake of adult apprentices in Australia with 436 apprentices being hired on the program, and some 11,000 people receiving accredited training.
Bechtel is the global leader in the LNG industry. The company is responsible for about a third of LNG liquefaction capacity under construction today, including the Chevron-operated Wheatstone LNG project in Western Australia, and the first LNG export facility in the United States, Cheniere’s Sabine Pass Liquefaction project.