Irish engineering firm Kentz has won a $640 million contract for the construction of a new liquefied natural gas (LNG)project facility in Australia.

The unit rate re-measurable contract is to be performed by the UGL Kentz JV, a 50/50 joint venture between UGL Resources and Kentz.

The contract for the Ichthys Project Onshore LNG facilities in Darwin includes a gas processing plant at Blaydin Point.

The Ichthys LNG Project is a joint venture between Inpex group companies, major partner Total and the Australian subsidiaries of Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas, Chubu Electric Power and Toho Gas. It is expected to produce 8.4 million tonnes of LNG and 1.6 million tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) per annum, along with approximately 100,000 barrels of condensate per day at peak.

The contract, which is due to commence in August, will provide more than 900 jobs for construction personnel. The contract scope includes the provision of services for site-wide installation for process trains, and additional pre-commissioning and commissioning expertise.

“The Ichthys LNG Project will be one of the most important LNG developments to take place in Australia. The strength of our construction business unit in winning and executing work on major LNG facilities in Australia, is an area of expertise that our customers value,” said managing director Chris Warlow.