July 2009 News
Thursday 30th July 2009
Vic: Construction of Desal Plant to Start in October - July 30th
Construction of Australia's largest desalination plant will begin in Victoria in October in what the premier has branded a "road map" to ease water restrictions. Click here for full story
Vic desalination contract awarded - July 30th
Construction of Australia's largest desalination plant will begin in Victoria in October in what the premier has branded a "road map" to ease water restrictions. Click here for full story
Australian Rail Track signs with Leighton over $152m Hunter Valley rail work - July 29th
Australian Rail Track Corporation signed an agreement with Leighton Contractors to create the Upper Hunter Valley alliance which will deliver a $152 million program of works on the Hunter Valley rail corridor. Click here for full story
John Holland Rail on track with Manirail - July 29th
John Holland Rail is one of Australia’s leading rail contractors, working to construct, refurbish and maintain railways across Australia. Click here for full story
Construction begins on world class Queensland laboratory - July 29th
Construction has started on a $135 million medical research centre in Queensland, designed by John Wardle Architects in association with Wilson Architects. Click here for full story
Foster Wheeler Secures FEED Contract for GLNG Upstream Project - July 27th
Engineering services firm Foster Wheeler has announced that a subsidiary of its Global Engineering and Construction Group has secured a contract from Santos to undertake the front-end engineering design for Santos's GLNG Upstream Project in Queensland, Australia. Click here for full story
Women in construction urged to seize award winning opportunity - July 27th
Nominations and entries are now open for the 2009 National Association for Women in Construction Qld (NAWIC) Crystal Vision Awards, which recognise the achievements of women in Queensland’s construction industry. Click here for full story
Planning panels take the politics out of planning - July 27th
The NSW government has announced the key players in its new Joint Regional Planning Panels (JRPPs). The five panels made up of independent experts will replace local politicians in determining all applications over $10 million in construction value. Click here for full story
Construction begins at Rhine's Iffezheim hydro plant - July 27th
POWER companies EDF and EnBW Energie Baden-Wurttemberg have commenced construction works at a new 38 MW turbine at the Iffezheim hydroelectric power station on the Rhine, Germany. Click here for full story
Mining contract extended - July 27th
Construction and mining company Mcmahon Holdings has been awarded a $110 million contract extension for work at the Olympic Dam mine in South Australia's far north. Click here for full story
Leighton Gains on Winning Abu Dhabi, Coal Contracts - July 27th
Leighton Holdings Ltd., Australia’s biggest construction company, reached a six-month high in Sydney trading after winning two contracts worth a total $735 million. Click here for full story
Region’s councils share $5.78 million for environmental projects: Minister - July 27th
Councils in South West Queensland will share more than $5.78 million in funding for a range of key environmental management projects, Local Government Minister Desley Boyle has announced today. Click here for full story
Protect local jobs - July 26th
The State Opposition is calling on the government to help WA businesses bid for contracts associated with the Gorgon gas project. Click here for full story
BHP's jobs promise in Mount Arthur mine expansion - July 25th
BHP Billiton plans to expand its Mount Arthur coalmine in the Hunter Valley, in an estimated capital investment of $318 million that will provide 190 new jobs. Click here for full story
Woodside steps up the pace at Pluto 2 - July 25th
WOODSIDE Petroleum could be close to securing a gas supply deal for the $5 billion Pluto 2 liquefied natural gas project in Western Australia, saying it wants to award early design contracts in the next two months. Click here for full story
Transfield fund loses Collinsville power - July 25th
TRANSFIELD Services Infrastructure Fund has written down the value of its Collinsville power station in Queensland by $80million. Click here for full story
Tick for $30m housing plan - July 24th
A $30 MILLION public housing project will employ up to 120 people directly and indirectly during construction. Click here for full story
RTA rattles Rozelle residents - July 24th
Residents of the inner-Sydney suburb of Rozelle are unhappy with the way the Roads and Traffic Authority has handled construction noise coming from roadworks for the Iron Cove Bridge duplication and busway project. Click here for full story
Thursday 23rd July 2009
Newcastle City Council light rail talk rejected - July 23rd
A LIGHT rail system would not work in Newcastle, the State Government organisation charged with looking at city transport options said yesterday. Click here for full story
Watpac nets $200m in projects - July 23rd
Watpac’s Queensland construction division has been awarded almost $200 million worth of projects in recent weeks, after scoring major contracts with the military. Click here for full story
Event: Public Transport Major Projects - July 22nd
The Australian Institute of Traffic Planning & Management (AITPM) presents this technical forum that will look at some of the challenges faced in planning and delivering two important transport projects for Victoria - Nunawading Station Redevelopment (Springvale Rd Grade Separation) and Epping - South Morang Rail Extension. Click here for full story
Clumsy tenders slow nation building - July 22nd
THE Federal Government's economic stimulus package is a much-needed shot in the arm for the Victorian economy and, in particular, the building and construction industry. Click here for full story
New rail study 'waste of time' - July 21st
THE Federal Government has been accused of ``bamboozling'' the public following its announcement of a $3 million study into the Maldon-Dombarton rail line. Click here for full story
Leighton secures $410m project, issues notes - July 21st
Leighton Holdings Limited (LEI) said that its subsidiary, Leighton Asia, had been awarded, in a joint venture with Leonhard Nilsen & Sonner AS, a $410 million Hong Kong sewerage contract. Click here for full story
Abigroup awarded NSW rail contract - July 20th
Moolarben Coal has awarded Abigroup the contract to construct a rail loop at its Moolarben Coal Project 40 km north-east of Mudgee. Click here for full story
AMEC to buy Australian engineering group GRD Ltd for A$106 mln in cash - July 20th
Engineering group AMEC PLC (LSE: AMEC) said it has signed an agreement for the acquisition of leading Australian peer GRD Ltd (ASX: GRD) for A$106 million in cash. Click here for full story
Builders vie for new Royal Adelaide Hospital - July 20th
The South Australian government has revealed the three consortia interested in building Adelaide's new $1.7 billion hospital, due to begin construction next year. Click here for full story
United in $3bn rail deal with GE - July 20th
United Group and GE will prolong their alliance in rail manufacturing for another decade via a new $A3 billion partnership. Click here for full story
Abigroup awarded new rail contract - July 17th
Moolarben Coal has awarded Abigroup the contract to construct a new rail loop at its Moolarben Coal Project 40km north-east of Mudgee. Click here for full story
Thursday 16th July 2009
ARTC plans $1b Hunter rail upgrade - July 15th
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) plans to spend more than $1 billion on rail upgrades in the Hunter Valley in a bid to ensure the coal sector recovers from the economic downturn. Click here for full story
Northern Tas LNG plant gets go-ahead - July 15th
The Meander Valley Council has approved the construction of a liquefied natural gas plant. The $150 million plant will be built in Westbury. Click here for full story
$3 million for Maldon-Dombarton rail link - July 15th
The Federal Government committed a further $3 million on July 8th to move to the next stage of assessing the feasibility of a rail line between Maldon and Port Kembla via Dombarton. Click here for full story
SEQIPRAIL Program on track to deliver rail projects - July 15th
As part of the Queensland Government's $107 billion South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program 2008-2026 (SEQIP), the SEQIPRAIL program has already completed four rail infrastructure projects costing around $420 million, with another $1.7 billion of rail and road projects underway. Click here for full story
Calls for expressions of interest in major NSW water supply project - July 14th
The Australian construction industry has been invited to respond to a Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) for construction of the largest water infrastructure to be undertaken on the NSW Central Coast for 25 years. Click here for full story
$69 Million Upgrade For NSW Supreme Court Building - July 14th
Premier Nathan Rees today announced that $69 million will be spent upgrading NSW Supreme Court building in Queens Square, creating 350 jobs over four years. Click here for full story
Houghton highway construction cost doubles - July 14th
The Federal Government says the cost of the new Houghton highway from Brighton to Clontarf on Brisbane's northside has more than doubled. Click here for full story
Contractor appointed for Oakajee project - July 13th
Murchison Metals has appointed WorleyParsons to carry out the project management study at the Oakajee port and rail project. Click here for full story
Landmark crossing reaches halfway and commemorates digger - July 13th
To celebrate the $315 million Houghton Highway Duplication Project reaching the half-way point of construction, Main Roads Minister Craig Wallace today announced the new structure would be named the Ted Smout Memorial Bridge. Click here for full story
Tender knocked back - July 13th
Birdon Marine entered a $5.2 million tender for the scuttling of the HMAS Adelaide off the Central Coast but lost its bid to a South Australian company who entered at $5.8 million contract. Click here for full story
Lend Lease commences $500m eco-friendly Darling Walk - July 13th
LEND Lease announced yesterday it began construction of its newest office development: the $500 million, environmentally-friendly Darling Walk. Click here for full story
BHP - Rio Tinto Form World’s Largest Iron Ore Operation - July 12th
Two corporate giants in the mining industry, BHP Billiton (BHP) and Rio Tinto (RIO) are reported to moving ahead with the massive plan to merge their iron ore operation in Western Australia. Click here for full story
Bilfinger Berger Services secures smart meter contract in Victoria - July 12th
Specialist engineering, construction and asset management contractor, Bilfinger Berger Services, has secured one of the two large contracts with Powercor Network Services to roll out more than 1.1 million smart electricity meters across the CitiPower and Powercor Australia electricity networks serving inner Melbourne and western Victoria. Click here for full story
WorleyParsons wins big Oakajee contract - July 12th
WorleyParsons has been appointed as project management study contractor to the more than $3 billion Oakajee port and rail project in Western Australia's mid-west region. Click here for full story
Govt invites comment on $200m Cotter Dam expansion proposal - July 11th
The expansion of the Cotter Dam is a step closer, after the Actew Corporation lodged a development application for the $200million project yesterday. Click here for full story
Thursday 9th July 2009
Olympic Dam expansion 'environmental genocide' - July 9th
A traditional owner of the land in and around Roxby Downs, in South Australia's far north, says an expansion of BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam mine would be environmental genocide. Click here for full story
China says evidence proves Rio Tinto staff stole state secrets - July 9th
China said Thursday it had evidence proving detained Rio Tinto staff stole state secrets, as the affair threatened to boil over into a diplomatic row with Australia summoning the Chinese ambassador. Click here for full story
Construction costs in 2010 - July 9th
David Mitchell (pictured here), director of Mitchell Brandtman Quantity Surveyors, believes that although there is a lot of focus on the decline in construction costs at the moment, the focus should really be on when costs will start to rise and how it will affect tenders. Click here for full story
Thiess' Gorgon LNG deals total $1b - July 9th
Leighton Group's Thiess has been awarded a $500 million construction contract with Chevron's massive Gorgon liquefied natural gas project on Barrow Island, off Western Australia. Click here for full story
Watpac secures $62 million project - July 9th
Brisbane-based construction company Watpac has been contracted to build a $62 million University Design Hub at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). Click here for full story
New drainage system gets go ahead - July 9th
Construction of the Bald Hill drain near Kingston in the South East is scheduled to start in October, following the completion of two independent reviews of the project, Environment and Conservation Minister Jay Weatherill has announced. Click here for full story
Brookfield Multiplex wins multiple awards in Perth - July 8th
Brookfield Multiplex is the overall winner of the Master Builders – Bankwest Excellence in Construction Awards in 2009 for its construction of the Bishops See Stage 1 (now known as 237 St Georges Terrace) building in the Perth CBD. Click here for full story
Leighton wins $484m Abu Dhabi contract - July 8th
Construction giant Leighton Holdings Ltd has won a AED 1.4 billion ($A484 million) project in Abu Dhabi to build port, road and infrastructure facilities in the Khalifa Port and Industrial Zone (KPIZ). Click here for full story
Rapid transit system - July 7th
Work will start on the Gold Coast Rapid Transit system within weeks creating thousands of jobs and building the infrastructure that Australia's fastest growing city needs, Premier Anna Bligh announced today. Click here for full story
Leighton wins $290m contract in India - July 6th
A CONSORTIUM including construction giant Leighton Holdings has won a $289.42 million contract to build an information technology park in India. Click here for full story
Qld Rail wins coal cow and Govt. is set to cry for milk - July 6th
INDUSTRY officials are becoming increasingly sceptical of the Queensland Government’s imminent sale of Queensland Rail (QR) in light of a new major contract win. Click here for full story
Lend Lease Still in Talks on Elephant & Castle Plans - July 5th
Lend Lease Corp., Australia’s largest property developer, remains in talks for the 1.5 billion pound ($2.4 billion) contract to redevelop the Elephant & Castle district south of the River Thames near London. Click here for full story
QR wins Hunter Valley haulage contract - July 5th
Rail operator QR (Queensland Rail) has won a contract to haul up to 12 million tonnes of coal per annum for Peabody Energy Australia in the New South Wales Hunter Valley. Click here for full story
BHP sells nickel refinery to billionaire Clive Palmer - July 4th
BILLIONAIRE Clive Palmer is broadening his reach in the resources sector after buying BHP Billiton's Yabulu nickel refinery and setting his sights on its mothballed $US2.2 billion ($2.8bn) Ravensthorpe mining operation. Click here for full story