Bechtel wins EPC contract for Rio Grande LNG project

Bechtel has secured an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract from NextDecade for the first phase of the Rio Grande liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Brownsville,Texas, US.

The contract is worth more than $9.5bn, reported globalconstructionreview.com.

This project comprises three liquefication trains, two 180,000m³ storage tanks and two marine berths.

Additionally, the project has the opportunity to construct an extra storage tank and LNG truck loading facilities.

Bechtel LNG general manager Darren Mort said: “Our LNG team is building on a proven track record of delivering world-class projects that help our customers bring an important energy source to the global economy.

“Our milestones are a testament to what the industry can accomplish with innovative approaches to technical challenges, and collaboration between owners, contractors, suppliers, and local communities.”

Rio Grande LNG project is located in a deepwater port and in close proximity to low-cost recoverable gas resources in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale.

In the last four years, Bechtel has delivered 14 large-scale LNG production trains for Cheniere, Shell, Chevron, Santos and ConocoPhillips.

Bechtel-constructed facilities that are claimed to generate over 30% of the LNG capacity in the world.

These facilities currently supply about 61 million tonnes of LNG annually to global energy markets, or sufficient energy to power over 85 million homes.

In March, a Bechtel-led team placed a dome on a nuclear reactor building at Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in Georgia. Once complete, Plant Vogtle will be a leading generator of carbon-free electricity in the US.

Weighing around 745t and measuring 130ft in diameter, the dome is the roof of the steel structure that contains Unit 3’s nuclear reactor.