Bechtel finishes construction on BG’s Queensland Curtis LNG in Australia

Bechtel has handed over the operational control of the Queensland Curtis LNG plant to its customer, QGC, completing the transition from construction to permanent operations.

The plant, based on Curtis Island, off the coast of Queensland, Australia, is consistently producing at full capacity.

“More than seven years of planning, construction and commissioning work have led us to this moment," said Alasdair Cathcart, general manager of Bechtel’s LNG business line. "We stand proud as we hand over a world-class plant that will serve our customer well for decades to come.

“QCLNG’s success is a tribute to everyone working collaboratively on the project – Bechtel and QGC teams, our supply chain, and the Gladstone community. We put our expertise and experience into bringing this plant to life and finding innovative solutions to challenges of megaproject construction. I would like to thank the entire team for their hard work and commitment in making this extraordinary achievement possible."

QCLNG is the first of three LNG plants being built by Bechtel on Curtis Island to reach full operations. The Santos GLNG project produced its first cargo in October. Australia Pacific LNG has made strong progress in construction, commissioning and start-up prior to its first export before the end of the year. 

This year will see four of the six trains on Curtis Island producing LNG, with the remaining two trains expected to come online during 2016.

 “The QGC and Bechtel team deserve great credit for the completion of the project," said Helge Lund, BG Group’s CEO. "I would also like to thank our partners, contractors, government authorities, including the State of Queensland, together with the landholders and the communities from across the Surat basin to Curtis Island, for their support.”