Amec Foster Wheeler has won an engineering and project management services contract from PT Pertamina and Saudi Aramco to upgrade and expand Cilacap Refinery in Central Java, Indonesia. Amec Foster Wheeler will perform the basic engineering design study, develop the scope for the proposed project and finalise the process configuration and licensors’ packages. The project is aimed to increase its capacity from 348,000 barrels to 370,000 barrels daily. It will also maximise production of cleaner gasoline and diesel, produce higher quality base oils for the domestic market, and expand annual production of aromatics and polypropylene to more than 600,000t and 160,000t respectively. The expansion project is part of Pertamina’s Refinery Development Master Plan to improve Indonesia’s energy security and involves the expansion and upgrade of its domestic refineries. The overall Cilacap Refinery upgrade project is estimated to cost about $4bn-5bn. Amec Foster Wheeler Group president for Asia, Middle East, Africa & Southern Europe Roberto Penno said: “This is a strategic project for Indonesia’s Oil & Gas industry, in one of Asia’s fastest growing economies with a growing energy demand. “We will combine our in-depth refinery expertise from our Reading, UK operation, together with our strong Asian operations, to deliver the best of Amec Foster Wheeler for this important project.”
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has approved a total of $600M of funding for the construction of a new terminal to replace Terminals C and D for Delta Air Lines at LaGuardia Airport. The Port Authority plans to contribute $200M towards the Delta terminal for new concourses and ramp work and $185M for the construction of an electrical substation and the expansion of the East Garage, along with any necessary temporary parking solutions during construction. Furthermore, $215M will go towards roadways and other supporting infrastructure. Delta Air Lines will be responsible for performing and managing the construction work, with full responsibility for any cost over-runs. The development, which represents the second phase of the airport’s redevelopment and modernisation program, will help unify the airport through the interconnection of Terminal B with the new 37-gate Terminal C&D facility which will house Delta. The second phase of the project is expected to cost about $4bn. Work on the Delta phase of the project is expected to start in 2017 — subject to approval from the Federal Aviation Administration — and is scheduled to be complete in 2024. The main head house of the new terminal is anticipated to open in 2020.
Swedish power utility Vattenfall is set to construct a SEK3bn ($349M) combined wind farm and technology development centre off the Scottish coast. To be called ‘European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre’ (EOWDC), the wind farm will feature 11 turbines and have a capacity of 92.4MW. In addition, the company will build a centre for testing and developing new technologies for offshore wind power. Vattenfall’s president and CEO Magnus Hall said: “We aim to double our wind power capacity from 2 to 4GW by 2020 and are focusing on reducing and streamlining our offshore wind power costs. “Our investment in the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre off Aberdeen is an important part of this process.” Onshore construction will start in late 2016 and offshore construction work is anticipated to commence in late 2017 with power generation expected in early 2018.
Saudi Aramco has signed four engineering contracts for the construction of its SAR5bn ($13.3bn) Fadhili gas-processing project in Saudi Arabia. The company has contracted Larsen & Tubro for the project’s offshore facilities; Saudi KAD for the downstream; Saudi Electric Company and Engie for the combined heat & power (CHP); and Mohammed I. Al Subeae & Sons Investment Holding Company for the residential camp. The project will become a key component of the country’s master gas system, processing gas from both onshore and offshore fields. The project will process a daily total of 2.5bn standard cubic feet of non-associated gas, including 2bn standard cb ft of Hasbah offshore gas and 500M standard cb ft of Khursaniyah onshore gas. Saudi Aramco believes that the project will help boost production and supply of clean-burning natural gas, lessening dependence on oil for power generation. The new plant along with the company’s two other gas projects, Wasit and Midyan, will add more than 5bn standard cb ft of non-associated gas processing capacity. The project is set to be complete by 2019 and will create about 4,500 jobs in the region.
Grand River Development, managed by Riant Capital, has unveiled plans for a $1.1bn mixed-use commercial tower in Taipei, Taiwan. The Taipei Sky Tower will be located adjacent to Taipei 101 in Taipei’s prime Xinyi District and will feature a retail podium, a luxury hotel, a lifestyle hotel and a theatre house. The 54-storey tower will measure more than 260m in height and include 93,000sq m in combined floor area. Riant Capital’s CEO Aaron Chan said: “Due to the unique location and street front exposure of the site, we are able to re-create a new whole pedestrian block comprising independently operated retail and F&B flagship/concept stores that one typically finds in major international cities such as New York, Tokyo or Hong Kong. “We believe that this pedestrian shopping experience will offer consumers an attractive alternative to the traditional department store concept and that our innovative approach will further enhance Taipei Xinyi District’s status as a premium business and retail centre in Asia.”
A joint venture (JV) of Shimmick Construction, Traylor Bros., and Granite Construction has won an $875M contract from the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) to build the elevated guideway and stations around the Honolulu International Airport.The JV will be responsible for the design and construction of 8.4km of elevated guideway and four stations from the airport to Middle Street.All the participants in the JV are mainland-based construction companies. HART’s executive director and CEO Dan Grabauskas said the group’s final proposal of $875M was the “best value” of the three analysed by HART.Construction on the airport’s part of the guideway is set to commence in six months.
Abu Dhabi-based developer Aldar Properties has awarded contracts worth AED440M ($120M) to National Projects and Construction (NPC) for its Nareel Island and Al Merief communities in Abu Dhabi.Nareel Island is located on the coast in Al Bateen and is spread over two islands. It will include 148 villa plots, a lagoon, a marina, a clubhouse, open parks, private beaches, as well as pontoons and gardens. The earthworks and marine works tender packages have been awarded in October 2015. Reclamation work for the lagoon has also started, and dredging work on the southern island is complete.Al Merief project is located in Khalifa City and features 283 land plots. The villas will be located within recreational facilities and sheltered gardens, in close proximity to the community's parks, mosques, an Aldar Academies-operated school, and neighbourhood retail centre. The development’s conceptual and preliminary designs were completed in 2015.Aldar Properties’ chief development officer Talal Al Dhiyebi said: "As one of the most exclusive developments in the region, Nareel Island truly brings a new level of luxury to Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, Al Merief is set to become a welcoming, impressive new address to a burgeoning area of the capital.“With the appointment of NPC, we are on track for the completion of both developments in 2017."Work on both projects is expected to be delivered over a 16 month-period.
Highways England has announced that work on Lancashire County Council’s £124M Heysham Link project is nearing completion.The new road will link Heysham with junction 34 of the M6, and will be officially named the Bay Gateway later this year.The new slip road onto the northbound M6 is now being built. For that, the existing access south of the River Lune will be closed for 10 days, starting 22 July 2016, Highways England announced.Highways England project manager Paul Elliott said: “Although Heysham Link is a county council project along the local road network, its connection to the M6 is delivering significant improvements at junction 34 of the motorway with better entry and exit slip roads.“The closure of the existing northbound entry slip road to complete these improvements is part of that.”The road project started in January 2014 and is scheduled to be complete in October.
UK-based architectural firm Grimshaw Architects has been selected by Heathrow Airport to design the concept for the £16bn Heathrow’s expansion project.Grimshaw was chosen from a shortlist of four of the UK-based architects, which included Zaha Hadid, HOK and Benoy.This selection follows the announcement of Arup, CH2M, MACE and Turner & Townsend as programme client partners for the project in March 2016.Heathrow’s head of design Barry Weekes said: “We look forward to working with Grimshaw to develop their bold ideas so that once the government approves the Heathrow expansion, we can create a world-class sustainable hub airport which delivers for our passengers, our airlines and also helps to integrate Heathrow with our local communities.“With the Concept Architect and Programme Client Partners now in place, we are now ready to begin the process of expansion once the government makes the right choice for the whole of Britain.”
Canadian power utility Kineticor Resource has signed long-term agreements with multiple oil and gas producers to build, own and operate the 100MW Peace River power project in Alberta, Canada. The $100M project will use the associated gas produced as a result of heavy oil production near Peace River to create clean energy. The power generated will supply about 90,000 homes. The development will reduce flaring emissions from oil and gas operations, contributing to Canada's commitment to reduce methane emissions from the sector by at least 40%. Kineticor CEO Andrew Plaunt said: "The project is reducing both costs and emissions typically associated with natural gas processing and distribution to a power plant by producing power directly on-site."This reduces the emissions intensity and cost base required for clean, efficient and reliable power production in the province, while offering producers in the Peace River area an attractive and economic solution to conserve their associated gas."The project will create up to 120 construction jobs and is expected to be operational by the second half of 2017, subject to regulatory and environmental approval.
The governments of Canada and Alberta have signed an agreement to provide funding for the construction of the southwest portion of the Calgary Ring Road.The Southwest Calgary Ring Road project involves the construction of 49 bridges, including three river crossings and one roadway flyover.It will also include 31km of six- and eight-lane divided roadway, 14 interchanges, one railway overpass, and the reconstruction of Glenmore Trail from Sarcee Road to east of 37 Street Southwest.Mountain View Partners has been selected as the preferred proponent, with a commercial close date expected in September 2016.The project will be executed using a design, finance, build and operate procurement approach, in which the contractor will design, build, operate and maintain the asset on behalf of the government of Alberta for the contract period of 30 years.The government of Canada will contribute up to $582.9M to the project, while the remainder of the financing will be provided by the Province of Alberta.The Southwest section is anticipated to be complete by 2021.
Dubai Municipality has approved the construction of an AED20bn ($5.4bn) sustainable city in Dubai.The Desert Rose City, which was first announced in 2014, will be constructed in the Al Ruwayyah area. It will cover an area of 4,000ha and accommodate 160,000 residents.The development will deliver 20,000 plots for building luxury homes and 10,000 affordable housing units.The city, designed in the shape of a desert rose, will feature schools, shopping centres, clinics, hospitals, mosques, a police station and other services. It will also have resources to provide more than 40,000cb m of potable water.Dubai Municipality planning department director Dawood Al Hajeri said the city will produce 200MW of electricity using solar panels on the rooftops of houses and other buildings.The first phase of the development is anticipated to be complete before Dubai hosts the World Expo 2020.
CSX is set to build a new $160M intermodal terminal in Edgecombe County, North Carolina.The terminal, known as Carolina Connector, will transfer containerised cargo between trains and trucks and will initially process more than 260,000 containers annually,North Carolina’s governor Pat McCrory said: “This historic project is part of our 25-year vision for transportation because it facilitates efficient and cost-effective movement of goods, which is critical for job creation and economic growth.“The Carolina Connector will be a game-changer for our state’s economy, supporting North Carolina’s agriculture, ports and position as the Southeast’s No. 1 state for manufacturing jobs.”During construction, the project is expected to create 300 short-term jobs in engineering, technical services and construction. The terminal is expected to open in 2020 and create 1,500 jobs throughout North Carolina as a result of its operations.
German science and technology company Merck Group has unveiled plans to construct a new $115M campus in Burlington, Massachusetts.The 26,000sq m facility will feature a customer collaboration laboratory and training centre, as well as office space. It will serve as a major hub for the company’s North American life science business.The firm’s 850 full-time Billerica-based life science employees will be relocated to the new campus, once completed.Merck Life Science executive board member and CEO Udit Batra said: “This new and more expansive Merck campus gives us a unique, multi-use life science hub in the United States — one that provides our employees and customers with a sustainable and collaborative working environment.“We have a long history in Massachusetts, and as a global leader in life science, we are committed to strengthening our presence in one of the most important science and technology hubs in the world.”The building is aiming to achieve LEED certification and will be complete in the second half of 2017.
M+W Group has been appointed as the main contractor by the consumer health and hygiene company RB to design and build its R&D Centre for Scientific Excellence (CfSE) in Hull, UK.The £105M centre will accommodate a new Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) healthcare development facility.It will include analytical, formulation and microbiology laboratories plus a stability testing unit.M+W Group UK managing director Spencer Baber said: “M+W Group is delighted to have been selected as RB’s partner to deliver the new Centre for Scientific Excellence. “This new facility will be an innovation hub, enabling RB to carry out industry-leading scientific research and development, to create new product ranges and healthcare solutions that could help transform lives in the future.”Preparatory works have already started at the RB’s Dansom Lane site with construction due to start in the coming weeks. The new facility is set to be operational in 2018.
Tunnelling work has commenced on the WestConnex M4 East motorway in New South Wales, Australia. Four road headers have been placed underground to start work on the first WestConnex tunnel. Construction work will be carried out in both directions to create the 5.5km tunnels that will link Homebush with Haberfield, in the first stage of WestConnex.The section between Homebush Bay Drive and Underwood Road is surface motorway, while the rest is twin 5.3m-high tunnels — three lanes in each direction from Homebush to Haberfield.New South Wales premier Mike Baird said: “This is a milestone event for the congestion-busting WestConnex motorway, which will deliver more than $20bn in benefits to NSW and create 10,000 jobs during construction.“Sydney can’t wait a minute longer for WestConnex which will cut 40 minutes from a typical journey between Parramatta and Sydney Airport, and bypass up to 52 sets of traffic lights.”New South Wales minister for roads and freight Duncan Gay said that the government was getting on with delivering much-needed infrastructure for Sydney’s growing population, with tunnelling starting at four different sites over the coming months to build the M4 East, which will open to motorists in 2019.Upon completion, WestConnex will join the M4 and M5 in a continuous motorway with connections at Rozelle, Camperdown, St Peters and Sydney Airport.
International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) subsidiary Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) has secured an AUD398M ($300M) loan for the construction of a container terminal at Webb Dock East in the Port of Melbourne, Australia.The loan was provided by several financial institutions, including Citibank, KFW IPEX-Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Bookrunners, Bank of China, DBS Bank, Investec Bank, and Cathay United Bank.Finnish export credit agency Finnvera has also participated in the transaction by providing a guarantee for a portion of the facility.Work on the terminal started in late 2014, and will be delivered in two phases. The first phase will be ready for commercial operations in the fourth quarter of 2016, while the second phase will be complete in 2017.VICT’s CEO Anders Dommestrup said: “VICT is extremely pleased to have signed this project finance facility with internationally renowned banks as this is a testament to the viability of VICT.“We remain committed to working with all our partners — the Port of Melbourne, local community, our contractors, and now our lenders — to deliver to Melbourne a world-class and industry leading container terminal.”
Russian Railways (RZD) international subsidiary RZD International and JSC Infrastructure Railways of Serbia have signed a $338M contract for construction and rehabilitation of the Stara Pazova—Novi Sad section of the Belgrade—Budapest rail line.Under the contract, RZD International will build a 3km-long double track viaduct and a new 2.2km tunnel named Chortanovtsy. Construction of the tunnel and viaduct is expected to cost more than $258M.Furthermore, the company will be responsible for the construction of a centralised traffic control centre.Upon completion, passenger and freight train speeds on the rail section will increase to 200kmph.Construction work is scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2017.
Dubai South has awarded AED1bn ($272M) contracts for project developments in Dubai’s Residential District.Dubai South’s Residential District will feature 10,000 residential units, including villas, townhouses and apartments, accommodating about 35,000 residents. It will also include schools, nurseries, hospitals, retail outlets, food and beverage options, a post office, a swimming academy and a sports centre.Atkins Global, Studio International Architects and RNL Design have been selected to supervise the masterplan and product design for the mixed-use project, which will be delivered in phases. UAE-based Al Nasr is currently working on the first section of the District’s infrastructure, which will be completed by the fourth quarter of 2016. The company has also secured a contract for the construction of infrastructure in Dubai South’s Logistics District.Tristar Engineering & Construction has secured an infrastructure construction contract for the remaining areas of the first phase — scheduled to be complete by the fourth quarter of 2017.Parsons and Kele Constructions have also been awarded a contract to build the first phase of Sakany Staff Village, which will accommodate 20,000 residents by 2020.Additionally, UAE-based City Diamond Contracting has won a contract to build a multi-purpose aerospace supply chain facility in Dubai South’s Aviation District.Ahmed Al Ansari, Dubai South’s acting CEO, said: "We, at Dubai South, are excited to be working with the leading companies in the construction industry to help create a solid foundation for the future of Dubai South residents."This entirely new and incomparable model of urban living puts people first, while celebrating nature and diverse populations, which come together to form a thriving and healthy community."
Schlumberger company OneSubsea has secured an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract worth $300M from Woodside Energy for the Greater Enfield Project oil development, off the northwest coast of Australia.The project will create a 31km subsea tie-back to the Ngujima-Yin floating, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility.OneSubsea will supply the subsea production system and the dual multiphase boosting system for the project.The contract includes the delivery of six horizontal SpoolTree subsea trees, six horizontal trees for the water injection system and six multiphase meters.It will also involve the provision of a high-boost dual pump station with high-voltage motors, umbilical, topside, subsea controls and distribution, intervention and workover control systems, landing string, and installation and commissioning services.