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Engineering construction maintenance company Transfield Worley is hunkering down for a positive year after a flat nine months. By Neil Ritchie.
Taranaki is still fairly buoyant, he says, despite the end of the $3 billion quartet of major offshore projects – the Pohokura and Kupe gas, and Tui and Maari oil field developments. “We are still supporting [Kupe operator] Origin Energy with commissioning of the Kupe project and also have small roles with [Tui operator] AWE,” Hills says. “In addition, we are doing small projects for [Maari operator] Austrian firm OMV, involved in the design and construction of more oil flowlines on the Maari platform.” Onshore, Transfield Worley is working with Origin in the $250 million redevelopment of the depleted Ahuroa gas field into the country’s first underground gas storage facility. “We were involved with the FEED (front end engineering and design) for Ahuroa and are now project managing the EPC (engineering procurement and construction) contract for the second phase where bigger compressors are installed, et cetera.” Origin is developing Ahuroa for subsidiary Contact Energy, with the staged project already operating, though full completion is not due until later in 2010. Ahuroa is allowing Contact to store gas, from a number of fields, at times when it has access to lower-cost generation alternatives, such as geothermal or hydro electricity, and to use its more expensive gas-fired power stations, including the $250 million fast-start gas peaker plant due for completion next winter, only when market conditions justify. Hills adds that his company was also involved in the FEED stage of Todd Energy’s $65 million liquefied petroleum gas plant at the McKee oil and gas field near Tikorangi in north Taranaki. “And we were recently awarded the EPC contract for that plant, including installation of the LPG packaged equipment and provision of LPG storage bullets and a truck load out facility.” That project, which should be completed by July 2011, will enable Todd Energy to produce LPG sourced from its Mangahewa and Pohokura fields and deliver the product to customers via its retail company Nova Energy. Over the past three decades, Transfield Worley has diversified – from based solely in New Plymouth to now having branch offices in Auckland, Hastings, Wellington and Christchurch. Its headquarters remain in New Plymouth, with the Taranaki operation employing over 200 of the total 350 or so personnel. “We are a large employer for this region. plus we have another 800 or so long term subcontractors scattered around the country,” says Hill. Ownership has also changed over time, from associations with the EB and ABB global groups during the 1970s and 80s, to the 1990s link with New Plymouth’s Fitzroy Engineering Group, to present owners Australian Securities Exchange listed WorleyParsons and Transfield Services. But it still has its two foundation contracts – with Shell Todd Oil Services and New Zealand Refining Company – that account for about 40 percent of the firm’s business. It provides on-going engineering, design, draughting, construction, maintenance and other services for STOS, which operates the offshore Taranaki Maui and onshore Kapuni gas fields, and similar services to NZRC, operator of the country’s sole refinery at Marsden Point. However, it is diversifying from being a predominantly petroleum and petrochemical-focused group into such sectors as the dairying, power generation, biofuels and viticultural industries. “We’ve delivered design and construction, process, and mechanical and electrical facilities for some wineries in Hawkes Bay, Nelson and Marlborough – working with producers of some world class wines and thoroughly enjoying the experience,” says Hills.
Energy NZ Vol.4 No.2 March-April 2010 |
“It’s very positive to see growth resume in the industrial construction sector and companies start to recruit again,” says company chief executive Pat Hills.