QGC said it has awarded a contract worth more than A$80 million to Australian company Monadelphous Group for maintenance of the Queensland Curtis LNG (QCLNG) liquefied natural gas plant.
The Gladstone arm of Monadelphous will support maintenance activities on Curtis Island including supply and operation of cranes, scaffolding, mechanical and electrical equipment.
Monadelphous will provide up to 40 workers for daily checks and repairs and up to 200 during scheduled shutdown maintenance.
Under the contract Monadelphous will also provide labour and equipment to support operation of QGC’s warehouse in Gladstone and another on Curtis Island.
This maintenance will help to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the LNG plant during operational preparations in 2013 and when LNG production starts in 2014.
The contract runs from January 2013 until 2019 and includes an option for extension.
QGC Operations Director Walter Simpson said Monadelphous would employ local people where possible and workers would be based in Gladstone.
“Employing Gladstone workers and using local suppliers of goods and services will create economic and social benefits for the community,” Mr Simpson said.
“Across Queensland regional towns are experiencing the benefit of QGC’s spending on the construction phase of QCLNG.
“This contract with Mondelphous shows that once we are operating our project, these same communities will benefit in the long-term from spending on maintenance.”
About half of capital expenditure on QCLNG until 2014 will be spent in Australia and about 80% of operating expenditure will be spent in Australia from 2014.
QCLNG will provide an increase in Queensland’s gross state product of up to A$32 billion in the project’s first decade to 2021, including a rise in the Fitzroy region’s gross regional product of about A$13.4 billion.
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LNG World News Staff, November 23, 2012; Image: QGC