Continuing our engagement with the client and partners, Laing O’Rourke engineered, procured and constructed the Northern Water Treatment Plant, an advanced facility treating 100 megalitres of water per day.

The scope of works included all related infrastructure associated with the QGC’s northern gas fields, including process pressure piping and interconnecting pipelines, major pump stations, major process storage ponds, all services systems, including fire systems, service water systems, wash down and fire hose reel systems (incorporating storage and pumping systems); and two reinforced concrete eight-megalitre tanks.

The plant’s remote location meant that it was imperative to utilise the latest offsite construction techniques to streamline the construction process and minimise the impact on the local environment. The pipe racks were manufactured using a pre-defined installation sequence, and were trucked in according to carefully timed transport envelopes, eliminating the need for police escorts and pilot vehicles. The three 120-tonne brine concentrators were manufactured offsite in New Zealand before being shipped to Brisbane, trucked to the site, and installed using one of the largest mobile cranes in Australia.

The project was awarded Industrial Water Project of the Year at the 2016 Global Water Awards in Abu Dhabi, an international award that represents the most impressive technical or environmental achievement in the field of industrial water.