Project Of The Year

The Northern Water Treatment Plant (NWTP), delivered for QGC in 2013 by a consortium featuring Laing O’Rourke, has taken out the Industrial Water Project of the Year at the annual Global Water Awards in Abu Dhabi. The project was nominated by QGC and the award represents the most impressive technical or environmental achievement in the field of industrial water.

Region Director Pat Cashin said receiving this award reinforces Laing O’Rourke’s Digital Engineering and Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) approach to the delivery of complex infrastructure projects.

“This international award highlights our unique capability in the use of the latest offsite construction techniques to streamline the construction process, improve safety performance and minimise any impact on the environment,” Mr Cashin said.

“Laing O’Rourke has a proud history of delivering critical infrastructure across Australia and to receive such a prestigious international award is testament to our ability to deliver certainty for our clients.

“This is a truly significant accomplishment and one that we can be extremely proud of.”

Purifying 100ML per day, the NWTP treats water from QGC's northern coal seam gas fields using advanced water treatment technologies with 97 per cent of the water recovered and beneficially reused by the local community and farmers.

“The delivery team faced many technical challenges on what has been one of the most technically complex projects delivered by Laing O’Rourke,” Mr Cashin added.

“Despite these challenges, we delivered a high quality product that received praise from the client on a number of fronts, including seven separate safety awards.”

The NWTP is the largest of three water treatment plants delivered by Laing O'Rourke for QGC. Laing O'Rourke also delivered the Kenya Water Treatment Plant which treats 92ML per day and the Windibri Water Treatment Plant which treats 6ML per day.