McConnell Dowell awards LNG terminal civil works contract to First BalfourMcConnell Dowell, the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the interim liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal project of First Gen Corporation, has awarded to First Balfour the project’s civil onshore works subcontract.

The interim LNG terminal project, to be located inside First Gen’s Clean Energy Complex in Batangas City, will consist of a multipurpose jetty capable of receiving liquid fuel carriers and floating storage units, as well as an onshore gas receiving facility (OGRF). Once completed in 2022, it will enable First Gen to continue serving the requirements of its gas-fired power plants that delivered 13,786 gigawatt-hours to the Luzon grid in 2019.

First Balfour will handle the civil works of the OGRF, including the construction of a jetty monitoring building, facility control room, gas metering facilities and high-pressure gas pipeline foundations from the jetty to the gas metering area.

Personnel working on the OGRF will be accommodated in a shelter-in-place facility that was also constructed by First Balfour in April. First Balfour’s OGRF project team will be led by Danilo Escarlan, a seasoned project manager who has extensive experience in handling construction projects heavy in civil works.

“We are most grateful to the team of McConnell Dowell and First Gen for enabling the participation of First Balfour in this essential piece of infrastructure for the First Philippine Holdings (FPH) Group which ensures the continuity and quality of essential power supplies to the Philippines. We are looking forward to working with the team of McConnell Dowell to deliver this exciting project in line with the requirements of the owner First

Gen and all stakeholders in the project,” said Malcolm Lorimer, First Balfour head of major projects division.

Founded in 1961 and headquartered in Victoria, Australia, McConnell Dowell has a long history of delivering complex infrastructure in market sectors including power, water, transport, and oil and gas.

Apart from meeting the power demands of millions of homes, the LNG terminal will play a critical role towards the Philippines’ transition to cleaner energy sources, a solid step in FPH’s mission towards a decarbonized and regenerative future. (Story/Photos by: Dolly Pasia-Ramos)