Vinci and Leighton team up on LNG project

French contractor Vinci has formed a joint venture with Australia's Leighton Holdings to build LNG storage and condensate tanks for the Chevron-operated Wheatstone Project, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) and domestic gas project in Western Australia. The contract is worth AU$ 500 million (US$ 537 million).

The contract will see Entrepose Projects and Vinci Construction Grands Projets, both subsidiaries of Vinci, working with Thiess Pty, a subsidiary of Leighton Holdings, on the engineering, procurement and construction of two LNG full containment storage tanks, which have a capacity of 150000 cubic metres each, and two condensate storage tanks with a capacity of 120000 cubic metres each.

Construction is scheduled to start in 2013 and scheduled for completion in 2016.

This is Thiess' third project on the Wheatstone LNG project. Thiess, in another joint venture, is already contracted to Bechtel, which is managing the contract for Chevron, to deliver the design and construction of the breakwater and materials offloading facility. Thiess is also contracted to Chevron to deliver the microtunnel on the project site.