L&T inks big Saudi, UAE substation contracts

Indian construction giant Larsen & Toubro (L&T) says its power transmission and distribution business has won two big orders from the GCC region worth nearly $250 million.

 The first one is from the Saudi Electricity Company for the construction of a 380-kV double-circuit overhead transmission line between Qassim 2 and Madinah East Bulk Supply Point substations.

 This is one of the longest lines in Saudi Arabia, with a route length of more than 400 km, says the company.

 In the UAE, the company has bagged orders for the design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of three 132/11-kV substations and associated works, one each from Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Shamal Development and Meraas Development.

 Meanwhile, in India, the L&T unit has won a major order for EPC construction of 250-MW solar plant in Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh. Additional orders have also been received from various ongoing jobs of the business.

 A $17-billion technology, engineering, construction, manufacturing and financial services conglomerate, L&T established its presence in the Middle East over four decades ago.

 The power transmission and distribution business has already completed 225 substations  in the GCC countries and 75 more are under construction.

Jacobs wins BP gas project in Oman

Jacobs Engineering Group says it has been awarded a three-year contract by energy giant BP to provide engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services for Phase Two of the Khazzan Project in Oman.

As per the deal, Jacobs will continue to deliver EPCM services in support of the project, including the ongoing expansion of the gas gathering system, wellsite facilities and export pipelines, says the company.

In September last year, a significant milestone was reached when Phase One of the BP Khazzan Project achieved first gas ahead of schedule. Jacobs had delivered the EPCM services for the process and infrastructure work during the first phase of this greenfield project as well, through its global integrated delivery model, utilising knowledge from a diverse group of employees, as well as local construction suppliers, it states.

Jacobs (Petroleum and Chemicals) president Vinayak Pai says: “We are committed to continuing our relationship with BP through the next development phase of this world-scale gas project.

“Upon completion of the project, this field has the potential to produce gas for Oman for decades to come and simultaneously sets the stage for knowledge transfer and Omanisation.”

Khazzan is considered to be one of the biggest tight gas projects in the Middle East and Phase One is expected to develop approximately seven trillion standard cu ft of gas, deliver plateau production of one billion standard cu ft of gas per day and 25,000 barrels of gas condensate per day, he adds.

Arab Contractors, Orascom to build Egypt’s debut monorail

The joint venture will build Egypt’s first monorail in Cairo.

Arab Contractors, a leading construction company in the Middle East and Africa, has joined hands with Orascom Construction Company, a global engineering and construction contractor, to build Egypt’s first primary monorail project in capital Cairo.

 Both the companies will work with Canadian Bombardier Company for the construction of the $1.4-billion project, reports Amwal Alghad, citing a top official of state-owned Arab Contractors.

 Works will include changing the location of utilities and construction as well as power plants and the installation of tracks, states the chairman Mohsen Salah.

 Earlier, the Egyptian Housing Ministry invited the local construction companies to submit their bids to execute the monorail project.

 “Orascom had earlier submitted a full study to execute the monorail,” says Salah, noting that the project is expected to link between Sixth of October City’s district and Giza.

 Established in 1955, Arab Contractors also participated in the construction of the Aswan High Dam, a dam built across the Nile in Aswan, Egypt. In addition, the company was involved in the construction of several government buildings in Egypt.