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June 2009 News


Thursday 2nd July 2009


$96 million Pilbara contract - July 2nd
Electrical engineering company O'Donnell Griffin Rail (OGR) has secured a $96.5 million contract for rail signalling and relocation with BHP Billiton Iron Ore, the company announced this week. Click here for full story

Bilfinger Berger Services secures contracts with CitiPower, Powercor and EnergyAustralia - July 2nd
Specialist engineering, construction and asset management contractor, Bilfinger Berger Services, has secured multiple contracts with Victorian and New South Wales electricity distributors. Click here for full story

Hunter dam was not costed, memo reveals - July 2nd
THE NSW Government announced construction of a half-billion dollar dam just six weeks after receiving advice from a top Hunter Valley water official that the cost of the project had not been properly studied. Click here for full story

Industrial Construction Average Salaries - July 1st
MINING DAILY showcases a snapshot of salaries and employment market trends across the Australian and New Zealand resources industry. Click here for full story

New tool builds safer construction sites - June 30th
Queensland University of Technology researchers have developed a set of 13 Safety Effectiveness Indicators aimed at reducing fatalities and injuries on building sites. Click here for full story

Norfolk unit wins $96m BHP contract - June 30th
A subsidiary of the listed Norfolk Group Ltd has secured a $96.5 million contract for rail signalling relocation and installation for BHP Billiton Ltd in Western Australia. Click here for full story

Green light for 16-level office tower - June 30th
DEVELOPER Watpac has been given the green light to begin construction of a 16-storey office tower at Newstead Riverpark. Click here for full story

Early works tender awarded for Mackay's new Hospital - June 29th
The first steps in building Mackay Base Hospital $405 million redevelopment have been taken, Premier Anna Bligh announced last week. Click here for full story

Downturn delays rail line construction - June 29th
Infrastructure company ATEC says construction of a new rail line in Queensland's southern inland will be delayed because of the global financial crisis. Click here for full story

Why not close some streets to cars? - June 29th
Max Fisher in The Atlantic has a good idea, given the low profile that urban policy has in Australia---Inside Story does not even a category for cities, though Australian Policy Online does have an urban planning category. Click here for full story

Good year for copper producers, says BHP - June 29th
BHP Billiton Ltd's base metals head Diego Hernandez expects it to be a "good year" for copper producers after a better-than-expected first half. Click here for full story

Government jobs toss lifeline to builders - June 27th
AUSTRALIA'S biggest builders and their small subcontractors are clinging to government work as private sector commercial and industrial construction appears likely to plummet 42 per cent in the next three years. Click here for full story

Thursday 25th June 2009


Leighton gets $800m slice of NZ work - June 25th
Transfield Services and Downer EDI have lost market share in the New Zealand (NZ) telco sector. This follows the decision by Telecom NZ to award a $NZ1bn installation and maintenance contract to Leighton Holdings. Click here for full story

TSE - Transfield JV Loses Tender for Melbourne's Yarra Trams - June 25th
Transfield Services Ltd (ASX:TSE) today announced its joint venture, TransdevTSL, was not selected as preferred tenderer for Melbourne's Yarra Trams franchise. TransdevTSL is a 50-50 joint venture between Transfield Services and French tram operator Transdev. Click here for full story

Keolis and Downer JV wins Melbourne tram tender - June 25th
KDR, a joint venture between Keolis and Downer EDI Rail, is the preferred tenderer for the Melbourne tram franchise. Downer EDI Rail is part of the Downer EDI Group, a top-100 publicly-listed Australian company, employing 24,000 people with annual turnover of $5.6 billion in FY 2008. Downer EDI Rail is an Australian provider of rolling stock and associated maintenance activities. Click here for full story

Shoalhaven Council to decide water treatment plant upgrade tender - June 25th
THE SHOALHAVEN Council will meet to approve a tender for a $5m upgrade of two sewerage treatment plants in the region this week. Click here for full story

Desal plant gets final approval - June 24th
WA will finally get its second desalination plant, after federal authorities signed off on the project - with conditions. The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts today gave approval for the plant to be built at Binningup, near Bunbury. Click here for full story

Lend Lease loses $US73m project over criminal probe - June 24th
AUSTRALIAN construction company Bovis Lend Lease has lost a $US72.7 million ($A92.7 million) contract to build a New York school for failing to reveal it was the focus of a criminal investigation, according to the New York Daily News newspaper. Click here for full story

Further planning approvals for Desalination Plant - June 24th
The Bass Coast, Cardinia and Casey Planning Schemes have been amended to allow the construction and operation of the Victorian Desalination Project, the Minister for Planning, Justin Madden announced today. Click here for full story

Go ahead for Albany Waterfront Stage 2 works - June 24th
LandCorp have awarded the tender for civil works on Stage 2 of the Waterfront at Albany to South-West based APH Contractors. APH had completed the Stage 1 works, including site works for the entertainment centre and improvements to Princess Royal Drive. Click here for full story

Orange to receive $2m for green-building centre - June 24th
THE FEDERAL Government has announced it will spend $2 million for the construction of a purpose-built centre in Orange, New South Wales to teach environmentally friendly building techniques.THE FEDERAL Government has announced it will spend $2 million for the construction of a purpose-built centre in Orange, New South Wales to teach environmentally friendly building techniques. Click here for full story

CH2M HILL Senior Vice President to Discuss Managing Water Infrastructure and Trends in Wastewater Treatment - June 24th
Glen Daigger, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer with CH2M HILL, a global full-service engineering, procurement, construction, and operations firm, will provide an "Overview on Managing Water Infrastructure" as well as discuss "Trendsin Wastewater Treatment" with attendees of Singapore International
Water Week. Click here for full story

Bovis Lend Lease loses $US73m project - June 23rd
AUSTRALIAN construction company Bovis Lend Lease has lost a $US72.7 million ($90 million) contract to build a New York school for failing to reveal it was the focus of a criminal probe, according to a newspaper report. Click here for full story

Sustainable practices in road construction: Making it work - June 23rd
The duplication of the Hume Highway shows how sustainability can be incorporated into a major road infrastructure project. For major road development projects, the big ideas that shape our overall approach to sustainability can be challenging to implement at a project level. Click here for full story

Construction industry facing skills shortage once financial crisis ends - June 23rd
Australia's construction industry is headed for another skills shortage, according to Troy Williams, CEO of Skill360 Australia, a Group Training Organisation that employs trainees and apprentices and places them with host employers across a range of industry sectors. Click here for full story

WA deepwater port moves closer to reality - June 23rd
A PROPOSED deepwater port in Western Australia's mid-west has moved a step closer to reality according to developers Oakajee Port and Rail. Click here for full story

Kentz Wins [Euro]285m Contract to Build Village for Australian Gas Fields Project - June 19th
ENGINEERING AND instrumentation specialist Kentz Corporation has won a contract worth [euro]285 million from Chevron Australia to design and build a construction village for 3,300 workers for its Gorgon project. Click here for full story

Highway upgrade starts next year, says minister - June 19th
CONSTRUCTION of the $56.9 million redevelopment of the South Gippsland Highway between Longford and Sale will begin early next year, according to State Roads Minister Tim Pallas. Click here for full story

WorleyParsons and Egypt to get nuclear - June 19th
Bloomberg reported that WorleyParsons (ASX: WOR) Australia’s largest engineering company, signed a nuclear-energy consulting and engineering contract with the government of Egypt, Cabinet spokesman Magdy Rady said today in an interview. Click here for full story

Scrap metro, says NSW Opposition Leader - June 19th
NSW Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell has pledged to scrap Sydney's proposed metro from the CBD to the inner-west in favour of other rail projects, set up a new infrastructure body and cut payroll tax to create jobs. Click here for full story

Thursday 18th June 2009


Decmil wins Chevron accommodation contract - June 18th
Decmil Group Limited’s (formerly known as Paladio Group Ltd) (PDO) wholly owned subsidiary Decmil Australia Pty Ltd has been awarded a $500 million contract alongside joint venture partners to design and construct an accommodation village for Chevron Australia Pty Ltd. The company said its share of the total contract value is expected to be around $170 million, making it the company’s largest single contract. Click here for full story

AGL acquires wind farms from Transfield - June 18th
AGL Energy Limited (AGK) announced that it has acquired two wind farm developments from Transfield Services Limited (TSE) for $9 million. The sale consists of the Barn Hill wind farm development project and the Crows Nest wind farm development site. Click here for full story

Thiess in joint venture to build $500m construction village on Western Australia's Barrow Island - June 18th
Thiess in a joint venture with Decmil Pty Ltd and Kentz Pty Ltd (TDKJV) has been contracted to design and construct a construction village on Barrow Island for Chevron Australia Pty Ltd. The contract value is approximately $500 million. Click here for full story

Global financial crisis pushes councils to be more sustainable - June 17th
The global financial crisis has driven councils to be more sustainable in their focus, with Victorian councils significantly increasing spending on sustainable building and construction materials as well as energy efficient and water saving products, according to green purchasing organisation, ECO-Buy. Click here for full story

NSW budget slashes stamp duty, fast tracks infrastructure - June 16th
Today's NSW state budget brandished a clutch of measures to shore up the construction industry, with the state government slashing stamp duty on newly-constructed homes, establishing the $200-million Local Infrastructure Fund and extending the first home owners grant until June 2010. Click here for full story

Brisbane Convention Centre Gears Up for $130M Expansion - June 16th
Construction is set to begin next week on the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, adding five new levels of boutique meeting and event spaces. The $130 million project, expected to open in 2011, will increase the Centre’s facilities by 50 per cent. Click here for full story

Hochtief in $A1b Aussie school contract - June 16th
The biggest German construction group, Hochtief, unveiled on Monday a contract to build seven schools in Western Australia worth 632 million euros ($A1.09 billion). Click here for full story

Work Starts Early On Oil Search’s PNG Gas Project - June 16th
Oil Search said yesterday that the partners in the huge Papua New Guinea liquefied natural gas project have agreed to start early works ahead of time, on the $US12 billion ExxonMobil-operated joint venture. Click here for full story

State approval for Australia’s largest wind farm - June 15th
Plans for a new wind farm in Silverton NSW have been given the official go ahead by NSW officials. "The construction of Silverton Wind Farm Developments' (SWFD) wind farm is great news for jobs and the economy in the Far West and even better news for the environment," says NSW Premier Nathan Rees. Click here for full story

Bilfinger Berger Services wins portion of the Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project - June 15th
Specialist engineering, construction and asset management contractor, Bilfinger Berger Services, has been appointed as one of the contractors for the Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project (NVIRP). Click here for full story

Britain's rail operators seek railways expansion - June 15th
Train operators are calling for widespread expansion of the rail network in England, with 14 extra lines and about 40 new stations proposed. Click here for full story

Central Queensland Coal Project Assessments - June 15th
Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd proposes to establish a mine in the Galilee Coal Basin, Central Queensland, to service international export markets for thermal coal. Click here for full story

Govt pushing ahead with construction watchdog changes - June 14th
The Federal Government will introduce legislation this week to make changes to the controversial construction industry watchdog. Click here for full story

CH2M HILL Shares Water and Sustainability Expertise at Singapore International Water Week - June 12th
CH2M HILL, a global full-service engineering, procurement, construction, and operations firm announces that it will share its expertise and projects during the Singapore International Water Week to be held 22-26 June. The firm is a founding sponsor of the conference. Click here for full story

Sustainable schools shelved for 'shovel ready' shells - June 12th
The government needs to ensure sustainability is “front and centre” of school infrastructure spending, a leading green building organization has said in light of comments by an Infrastructure Australia board member made yesterday. Click here for full story

Thursday 11th June 2009


AUD 140m to be spent on Vic rail project - June 11th
Work on the Springvale Road Rail Separation at Nunawading is on track with the VicRoads alliance partners announced today for the $140 million project. Click here for full story

Hiring put on hold in construction and mining sectors - June 11th
The recently released ManPower Employment Outlook Survey revealed an uncertain future for job seekers in the Mining and Construction sector as hiring managers place their decisions to hire new employees on hold. Click here for full story

Watpac awarded $50m Woolworths project - June 11th
Watpac’s construction division has been appointed the contractor for the construction of a data centre for Woolworths at Eastern Creek in NSW.  The $50 million project involves the construction of a 14,000-square-metre building to house three data halls and associated offices. The team will also undertake civil works, such as roads and infrastructure, at the site. Click here for full story

Alliance announced for Springvale Road Rail project - June 10th
Work on the Springvale Road Rail Separation at Nunawading is on track with the VicRoads alliance partners announced today for the $140 million project. Click here for full story

NSW miner pushes for highway tunnel - June 9th
A NSW mining company is hoping to tunnel under the New England Highway to improve access to its coal mining operations in the Hunter Valley. Click here for full story

Bridging the Gap - June 8th
As the economic stimulus bill was being pushed through Congress in January, the American Society of Civil Engineers rushed to release its latest report card for the nation’s infrastructure. Click here for full story

Neglect, popularity sinking rail network - June 7th
TRAIN services across Victoria will record another year of declining performance as decaying infrastructure and a patronage boom leave the system struggling to cope. Click here for full story

Kimberley LNG hub unlikely to proceed - June 7th
The much-touted Kimberley liquefied natural gas (LNG) hub proposal is unlikely to proceed and Woodside Petroleum Ltd's Pluto 2 LNG development could face delays, analysts say. Click here for full story

$500m Orica upgrade at Kooragang to create 300 jobs - June 6th
ORICA is moving ahead with a proposed $500 million expansion of its Kooragang Island ammonium nitrate plant that is expected to almost double manufacturing capacity and create more than 300 jobs. The explosives and chemical maker has made a submission to the NSW Department of Planning. Click here for full story

BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto to combine Western Australian iron ore assets into global colossus - June 5th
BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) have surprised the market with a signed a non-binding agreement to establish a production joint venture covering the entirety of both companies’ Western Australian iron ore assets. Both companies are in a trading halt. Click here for full story

BHP, Rio tie-up 'to free up rail access' - June 5th
Plans by BHP Billiton Ltd and Rio Tinto Ltd to set up an iron ore joint venture in Western Australia should force open up their infrastructure to third party access, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd says. Click here for full story

Thursday 4th June 2009


Clough awarded PNG contract - June 4th
Clough Limited (CLO) announced that the Clough Curtain JV has been awarded a contract by Exxon Mobil subsidiary Esso Highlands Ltd for the early works associated with the PNG LNG project. The engineering and construction company said planning work would start immediately with work orders to be executed by the JV as budget and scope are agreed. Click here for full story

WorleyParsons reaches agreement with Exxon - June 4th
Joint venture Eos, which WorleyParsons Limited (WOR) forms a part of, has reached an agreement with Exxon Mobil subsidiary Esso Highlands Ltd covering project services for the Papua New Guinea liquid natural gas project (PNG LNG) extending to the end of 2014. Click here for full story

Brisbane joint venture with Leighton is shelved - June 4th
QUEENSLAND-based developer Devine Property Group, now backed by Leighton Holdings, has shelved plans for a $300 million office building in central Brisbane, citing the economic downturn. Click here for full story

SA cools on PPP funding for new Adelaide hospital - June 4th
THE South Australian Government is backing away from a public-private partnership to fund construction of a new $1.7 billion hospital for Adelaide, and will consider providing a capital contribution from the state Treasury in a variation of the funding model used by Queensland. Click here for full story

Watpac takes reins of Cochlear HQ - June 4th
Brisbane-based construction group Watpac has been contracted to build an $80 million Cochlear hearing specialist headquarters in Sydney. The project involves the construction of a six-storey manufacturing facility with a net lettable area of around 24,000 sqm. Click here for full story

Green thumbs up for Silverton's $2.2 billion wind farm - June 3rd
The NSW Government has approved the first stage of the biggest wind farm in Australia creating more than 800 construction and operational jobs in Silverton near Broken Hill. Premier Nathan Rees said the first stage of the $2.2 billion wind farm project will deliver 282 wind turbines which will generate enough green energy to power around 200,000 households. Click here for full story

$161m boost to highways in state Budget - June 3rd
NSW Nationals leader Andrew Stoner has tipped a “steady as she goes” approach to roads projects on the Mid-North Coast when the NSW Budget is handed down later this month. Click here for full story

Transport revolution rolls on with new money - June 2nd
Premier Mike Rann says this Thursday’s State Budget will build on the record investment in our public transport system announced in last year’s Budget – by spending $1.5 billion on upgrading the metropolitan rail network over the next four years. That includes the $585 million announced last month by the Federal Government to expand rail infrastructure and services to Seaford and to accelerate the upgrade of the Gawler line. Click here for full story

Brierty begins $130m Bellamack construction - June 2nd
Brierty Ltd has begun work on the $130 million Bellamack residential development in the Northern Territory. Brierty is the developer of the project. The estimated value of the civil works component to be undertaken by Brierty is $44 million, plus additional revenue and margin from the sale of residential blocks. Click here for full story

Harmony sounds like 9 stars - June 1st
Harmony 9 is a sustainable housing prototype that follows on from Mirvac’s 6+ star energy efficient homes. Construction of the Harmony 9 home has commenced with a 100 per cent recycled concrete slab poured. The recycled concrete slab is the first of its kind in Australia. Click here for full story

$630,000 for Trundle sewer treatment plant - May 29th
NSW Minister for Water Phil Costa this week announced the Rees Government would provide $630,000 to Parkes Shire Council towards the construction of Trundle Sewage Treatment Plant. Click here for full story

Building hot spot in crisis as Queensland blamed for collapse of construction - May 29th
QUEENSLAND'S residential building sector has been brought to its knees by rocketing government charges, the credit crisis and a slump in demand from mining towns and holiday hot spots. Click here for full story

Workers object to QR's tender process - May 28th
A campaign against Queensland Rail's (QR) decision to call for international tenders for a major train building contract will be launched by workers in Maryborough today. Click here for full story

$7.5 billion coal project to create 7,500 jobs - May 28th
Waratah Coal’s $7.5 billion new thermal coal project is expected to create more than 6000 construction jobs and 1,500 mine site jobs, the company’s CEO Peter Lynch told MINING DAILY. According to Lynch, the impact on the Australian economy overall is estimated at an additional 45,000 jobs. Click here for full story

Buses can do the train's job - May 28th
NEWCASTLE Buses had the spare capacity to handle up to 20 million passenger trips a year on existing services, which ran frequently enough along Hunter Street to accommodate rail passengers, the Hunter Development Corporation has been told. Click here for full story

Monadelphous awarded Woodside contract - May 28th
Engineering company Monadelphous Group Ltd has won a $170 million contract for major works associated with Woodside Petroleum Ltd's $12 billion Pluto liquefied natural gas project in Western Australia. Click here for full story


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