November 2009 News

WA seeks Infrastructure Australia funding second time round - Dec 2nd
The Western Australian Government has submitted a second round of proposals to Infrastructure Australia (IA), including funding requests for the state’s grain freight network and South West rail line. Click here for full story

Sydney metro proposal 'could save billions' - Dec 2nd
A leading transport organisation has come up with what it says is a simple plan that would give Sydney commuters a metro rail system within eight years and save the New South Wales Government billions of dollars. Click here for full story

Airport link 'unlikely' - Dec 2nd
A rail link connecting the CBD to Melbourne Airport was being examined again by the State Government, according to the airport’s chief executive, Chris Woodruff. Click here for full story

Leighton to build QUT’s $205m Science and Technology Precinct - Dec 1st
Leighton Contractors has been awarded the contract to manage the $205 million design and construction of the new Science and Technology Precinct and Community Hub Project at the Gardens Point Campus, for the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Click here for full story

Altitude tower on rise again - Dec 1st
AN inner-city tower development is under way again six months after construction stalled following the collapse of builder CMC. The $40 million Altitude luxury residential building on Walker St is expected to be completed by April. Click here for full story

Strike to bring gas project to a 'standstill' - Dec 1st
The head of the state's Construction Union says he expects Woodside's Pluto project to come to a standstill, after workers voted to strike. Click here for full story
 
$500m revamp for Perth's town square - Nov 29th
A $500 million plan to sink Perth's central train station and build a huge town square has been unveiled by the West Australian government. Click here for full story

$1b terminal decision delayed again - Nov 29th
THE bidders shortlisted for the $1 billion third stevedore terminal site at Port Botany will have to wait until early next year for a decision due to another government delay. Click here for full story

Gorgon workers to stay on luxury cruise ship - Nov 28th
HUNDREDS of construction workers on the $43 billion Gorgon gas project will live on a luxury Norwegian cruise ship anchored off Barrow Island. Click here for full story

Australian firms have Dubai exposure - Nov 28th
Commonwealth Bank of Australia and construction company Leighton are among the Australian companies understood to have some exposure to Dubai World - the investment company which has requested a moratorium on the repayment of US$60 billion in debt. Click here for full story

Work starts on $2b iron ore mine - Nov 28th
Construction of a $1.8 billion iron ore project in the state's Mid-West will officially get underway today. Click here for full story

Thursday 26th November 2009

 
Construction figures point to rate rise - Nov 25th
Stronger-than-expected construction activity will have added to economic growth in the third quarter, and could give the central bank ammunition to slug borrowers with a pre-Christmas rate rise, economists say. Click here for full story

Higher construction figures exceed expectations - Nov 25th
The value of construction work done in Australia in the September quarter has increased by 2.2 per cent from the previous quarter. Click here for full story

Sydney’s South West rail link revived - Nov 24th
Work will start next year on Sydney’s South West rail link after Premier Nathan Rees announced on November 14th that the NSW Government will invest $1.3 billion into the line, just one year after he reportedly shelved the project. Click here for full story

Leighton calls for PPP change - Nov 23rd
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) in Australia need streamlining, according to Bill Wild of Leighton Holdings. Wild says that PPPs are often driven by investment bankers and lawyers looking for a quick return. Click here for full story

Fluor enters into offshore alliance with COOEC - Nov 23rd
US-based engineering services provider Fluor has entered into a formal alliance with China Offshore Oil Engineering Corporation, a subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corporation, in the pursuit of large offshore oil and gas projects in the Asia-Pacific region including China and Australia. Click here for full story

Low-carbon road map for China - Nov 22nd
IT'S a road map that will only allow green cars. By 2050, all new power sources in China will be either renewable or nuclear - and this change to a low-carbon future can take place while boosting economic growth. Click here for full story

Investment positive for mining - Nov 20th
MORE than $9 billion was spent on the construction of mineral and energy projects in Queensland in the six months to October 2009, a great sign for our mining industry, experts say. Click here for full story

Everyone's a winner with new rail link - Nov 20th
THE NSW Government's decision to recommit to the south-west rail link will boost Parramatta's economic role in Sydney, according to the Property Council of Australia. Click here for full story

Thursday 19th November 2009

SA tram supplier Alstom may be eyeing acquisitions - Nov 18th
RAIL and power giant Alstom are on the lookout for Australian acquisition targets with negotiations already underway. Click here for full story

Green light to fast-track $1b Palmer project - Nov 18th
The Federal Government has given the green light to fast-track plans for a multibillion-dollar coal and rail project that is the brainchild of mining magnate Clive Palmer. Click here for full story

Saipem secures engineering contracts from Chevron and KOC - Nov 17th
Italian engineering company Saipem, in consortium with Leighton Contractors, has secured an engineering, procurement and construction contract from Chevron for the Gorgon LNG jetty and marine structures project. Click here for full story

EPA approves port, rail components of Oakajee Port & Rails - Nov 17th
Murchison Metals Ltd says the environmental approval process had been confirmed for the terrestrial port and rail components of Oakajee Port & Rail's (OPR) mid-west infrastructure project. Click here for full story

Government Appoints Baulderstone to Undertake $128.5 Million Hamer Hall Renovation, Melbourne - Nov 15th
MAJOR Projects Minister Tim Pallas has appointed construction company Baulderstone to refurbish Melbourne’s Hamer Hall. Click here for full story

Axed $1.3b south-west rail link revived - Nov 14th
THE Premier, Nathan Rees, plans to mark his first appearance as leader at the state Labor conference today by announcing that work will start next year on the $1.36 billion south-west rail link. Click here for full story
 
Rail revamp reaches Toowoomba - Nov 13th
Queensland Rail's (QR) $65 million upgrade of the West Moreton rail system has reached the Toowoomba district on the state's Darling Downs. Click here for full story

Jobs lost as construction company goes under - Nov 13th
Nearly 140 Queenslanders are now without work after the collapse of a Brisbane-based civil engineering and construction firm this week. Click here for full story

Thursday 12th November 2009

 
Leighton consortium awarded $900m contract - Nov 12th
Leighton Holdings Limited (LEI) said it, in a consortium with Saipem, has been selected as the preferred proponent to develop the $900 million Chevron Gorgon LNG Jetty and Marine Structures project. Click here for full story

Brisbane construction firm into administration - Nov 12th
A Brisbane-based civil engineering and construction firm which had more than 200 employees at its peak has gone into voluntary administration. Click here for full story

WorleyParsons bids for Evans and Peck - Nov 11th
Energy and resource sector professional services provider WorleyParsons Ltd has announced an $87 million bid for unlisted public company Evans and Peck Group Ltd. Click here for full story

$1bn Bilfinger float brings headquarters to town - Nov 11th
INVESTMENT bankers have until next week to ready their initial pitches for a role in Bilfinger Berger's $1 billion-plus float of its Australian construction division. Click here for full story
 
Lynas Corporation Receives $450m To Advance Rare Earths Project - Nov 11th
Lynas Corporation (ASX: LYC) has now received the full amount of A$450 million less expenses pursuant to the equity raising announced on 29 September 2009. Click here for full story

Chalco delays $2.2bn alumina refinery construction - Nov 10th
Chalco has delayed its decision on the construction of a $2.2 billion alumina refinery in Queensland due to market uncertainty. The decision to mine bauxite in Cape York and refine it at Bowen was previously scheduled for September or October 2009. Click here for full story
 
CBD Energy Receives $15.28 Million Federal Government Grant For King Island Project - Nov 9th
CBD Energy (ASX: CBD) has received a gift by way of a $15.28 million Federal Government grant to advance the King Island Renewable Energy Integration Project. Click here for full story

Ocean Power, Leighton awarded $66.46m power plant funding - Nov 7th
Ocean Power Technology (OPT) and Leighton Contractors have been awarded a $66.46 million funding grant for the construction of a 19 megawatt wave power project off the coast of Victoria, The Age reported. Click here for full story

Construction sector grows - Nov 7th
The Australian construction sector expanded at a modest pace in October, after a rise in building activity and employment levels. The Industry Group/Housing Industry Association Performance of Construction Index grew by a seasonally adjusted 0.1 points in October to 50.9 points. Click here for full story

Woodside to triple Indigenous workforce - Nov 7th
Oil and gas company Woodside says it is working to improve its Indigenous employment record in Western Australia. Woodside employs about 30 full-time Aboriginal staff and 250 contractors. Click here for full story

Thursday 5th November 2009

 
Report shows hand-outs to polluters will cost us all - Nov 5th
A new report evaluating the effects of 100 climate policies from G20 countries reveals that previous handouts to Australian coal and aluminium companies increased both the nation's greenhouse gas emissions and the cost to the economy. Click here for full story

Clough loses contract at oil spill field - Nov 5th
The company behind an oil spill in the Timor Sea has terminated a contract with a construction firm to complete offshore facilities at the field where oil leaked for 10 weeks. Click here for full story

Two gas-fired power stations approved for Marulan - Nov 4th
The State Government has approved the construction jbGFzcz1NYWluQ29weVw+XDxTVFJPTons in the Southern Tablelands that have the potential to power about 800,000 households. Click here for full story

Infrastructure funding on track but warning light flashing - Nov 4th
After decades of neglect, Australia's rail infrastructure is now about to be the recipient of $4.5 billion of funding from the federal government. Click here for full story

'Poor planning' sends freight rail project off track - Nov 3rd
A union says hundreds of workers will lose their jobs because poor planning has led to a delay in the building of a freight train line in Sydney. Click here for full story

Confident Rio Tinto to double capital spending - Nov 2nd
A NEWLY upbeat Rio Tinto plans to double its capital spending next year, announcing a budget of up to $US3.5 billion ($3.9bn) to pursue growth projects. Click here for full story

Good debt, bad debt and the ugly PPP - Oct 31st
GET this straight: if you think we should be spending a lot more on economic infrastructure, you can’t be chicken-hearted about government debt. Click here for full story

Cimeco's Gorgon contracts forging ahead - Oct 30th
A wholly-owned subsidiary of Nedlands-based engineering and construction services company Forge Group has been awarded a $12 million terminal tank refurbishment contract on Barrow Island as part of Chevron's $50 billion Gorgon LNG project. Click here for full story

Rio Tinto lifts Pilbara expansion target - Oct 30th
Rio Tinto Ltd has lifted its iron ore production expansion target for mines in Western Australia's Pilbara region to 330 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa), up from 320mtpa. Click here for full story