(EnergyAsia, November 18 2011, Friday) — US engineering giant Bechtel said it has secured contracts involving two major liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in the US and Australia.
Bechtel said it has been awarded a US$3.9 billion contract by Cheniere Energy Partners LP to provide engineering, procurement, and construction services for two new liquefaction trains at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish in Louisiana state.
The project builds on Bechtel’s previous work at Sabine Pass where the company designed, built, and expanded the LNG receiving facility.
“We are thrilled Cheniere Partners has selected Bechtel for this important project that will transform Sabine Pass into a bi-directional facility capable of liquefying and exporting natural gas as well as importing and regasifying foreign-sourced LNG,” said Jack Futcher, president of Bechtel’s oil, gas, and chemicals business unit.
Bechtel will design, construct and commission the two liquefaction trains using the ConocoPhillips Optimized Cascade® technology.
The liquefaction trains will be built next to the existing facilities at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal, which include five tanks with storage capacity of 16.9 billion cubic feet equivalent, two docks that can handle vessels up to 265,000 cubic meters and vaporizers with regasification capacity of four billion cubic feet per day.
Construction is expected to begin in 2012.
Charif Souki, Chairman and CEO of Cheniere Energy Partners, said:
“Bechtel was chosen to develop and construct our liquefaction facilities due to their extensive LNG capabilities and experience in building some of the world’s largest LNG production facilities. Our trains are being designed with the best combination of efficiency, cost, and reliability, and with the turndown capability needed to provide flexible LNG delivery programmes.
“We have worked with Bechtel in the past on the construction of our existing Sabine Pass LNG terminal, which was completed on time and on budget, and look forward to another successful project.”
In Australia, Bechtel said it will hire 400 adult apprentices to work on the construction of three LNG plants in Gladstone – Queensland Curtis LNG, GLNG, and Australia Pacific LNG.
This will be one of the largest single intakes of adult apprentices in Australia’s history and the company will work closely with the Federal government’s National Apprenticeships Program (NAP) to deliver the opportunities.
“This innovative programme is a win-win and we are pleased to be part of it. It will help meet the demand for skilled labor and give adult workers with uncompleted apprenticeships, or those working in allied industries without a trade qualification, the chance to complete an apprenticeship in a reduced amount of time,” said Andy Greig, Bechtel’s managing director in Australia.
Under the programme, experienced workers will have their existing skills recognised. They will be given the opportunity to complete the competencies required without compromise, to get a full trade qualification in just 18 months instead of the traditional four years.
Mr Greig said: “We have been working closely with other industries to support Premier Anna Bligh’s jobs push in Queensland, and we have been pleased to get involved with this innovative Commonwealth-driven scheme. For us, the initiative is very closely linked with Premier Bligh’s “Jobs for the Regions” programme.”
Bechtel has been in Australia for almost 60 years and in Gladstone for more than 30.
NAP Program Director Alan Sparks said recruitment of the adult apprentices for Bechtel would begin immediately through a series of advertisements focusing on seven trades: electrical fitter mechanics, dual trade electrical/instrumentation, metal fabrication boiler maker welders, metal fabrication pipe fitters, mechanical fitters, and carpentry form workers.
Bechtel is a global leader in the construction of LNG facilities as evidenced by projects currently underway in Angola, Australia and Nigeria, and facilities completed in Australia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea and Trinidad.