Bechtel earns industry recognition for Curtis Island LNG projects

Photo courtesy of Bechtel.

Bechtel has won the ENR Global Best Project Award in power/industrial category for the Curtis Island LNG program. The award annually recognizes global projects in 18 industry categories for their safe and innovative solutions to design and construction challenges, international teamwork, contribution to the community, and quality of design and construction work.

Bechtel's megaproject construction program, consisting of Queensland Curtis LNG (QCLNG), Gladstone LNG (GLNG) and Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG), is part of the largest concentration of private-capital investment in Australia's history. Curtis Island will produce approximately 25 MMtpy of LNG, accounting for roughly 8% of global LNG production, making Queensland a significant contributor to reducing global electricity-related greenhouse gas emissions.

QCLNG (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 LNG 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.

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. The safety program at 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 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.

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