international
construction
september 2104
6
WORLDNEWS
LAOS
TheAsianDevelopment Bank
(ADB) has approved funding of US$
217million for a 290MW hydropower
project in Laoswhichwill be built under
a public-private partnership (PPP)
arrangement. The bulk of the electricity
generated byNamNgiep1will be
delivered to neighbouring Thailand.
CHINA
The 2015BICES exhibition
will be held from22–25September
at theNewBeijing International
ExhibitionCenter (NBIEC), which is on
the northern outskirts of theChinese
capital, near itsmain airport. It will
be the 13th edition of the show. The
NBIEC offers eight indoor hallswith a
total area of 106,000m
2
. There are
also two outdoor exhibition areaswith
50,000m
2
each for a grand total of
206,000m
2
.
SOUTHAFRICA
TheBauma
ConExpoAfrica exhibitionwill move
to a three year cycle after the next
event, fromSeptember 15–18,
2015. The inaugural event was held in
September 2013, but the organisers
said the decision to hold the third show
in2018 came following consultation
with local and international industry
representatives, which recommended
the three-year cycle for African
markets.
EUROPE
Construction output in the
EUwas -0.5% lower in June than
a year previously, according to the
EuropeanCommission’s statistical
service, Eurostat. It said building
constructionwas down -0.2% and civil
engineering by -2.7%. The largest falls
were inRomania (-13.1%), Portugal
(-10.3%), Slovakia (-5.0%) and the
Netherlands (-3.5%), while the highest
increaseswere inSlovenia (+28.7%),
Hungary (+9.8%), Poland (+8.0%) and
Spain (+6.8%).
MOLDOVA
The EuropeanBank for
Reconstruction andDevelopment
(EBRD) has facilitated financing
totalling
€
670million (US$890
million) to improveMoldova’s road
network. Some 830 km of the country’s
main road network is receiving support
in a joint partnership venture from
the EBRD, the EU’sNeighbourhood
Investment Facility (NIF) and the
European Investment Bank to enable
thework, whichwill offer a significant
boost to its economy.
HIGHLIGHTS
MIDDLE EAST
Projects driveGulf
jobs surge
Constructionmanagers, project engineers and
project directors are in demand in theMiddle East,
asmajor new schemes come on stream inQatar,
Saudi Arabia and theUAE.
T
he number of vacancies for senior construction professionals in the
Gulf region is surging according to international professional services
consultancy Procorre. The company said events such as the Qatar
World Cup and UAE Expo 2020 were driving demand for construction
project engineers, constructionmanagers andproject directors.
The company, which reported on vacancies for individuals to work on a
contractor basis (i.e. excluding permanent posts), said senior construction
positions currently account for 27% of the total number of white collar
roles marketed toUK individuals in the UAE, 82% inQatar and 54% in
Saudi Arabia.
LisaMangan, relationshipmanager at Procorre said, “There is a massive
need for contractors to oversee the construction work beginning inQatar.
Building has started on the 12 stadiums needed for the 2022World Cup
and individuals, such as architects and engineers are needed to implement
the planned extension to its road system, expansion of its power andpower
supplies and the construction of a brand new international airport.”
Meanwhile in the UAE, the company added that research by Deloitte
revealed that the value of construction projects has bounced back sharply
from its trough after the financial crisis, with US$ 12 billion of stalled
schemes now having restarted.
US
Bechtel COO
US contractor Bechtel has named
Brendan Bechtel president and
chief operating officer (COO),
with a seat on the Board. As the
sonof chairmanRileyBechtel, he is
the fifth generation of the Bechtel
family to become president of the
116-year old company and will
report toCEOBill Dudley.
Mr Dudley said, “Brendan has
proven himself as an extraordinary
leader, earning the respect of
colleagues and customers while
working inmany diverse sectors of
the company.”
Brendan Bechtel most recently
servedaspresident of the company’s
Oil, Gas & Chemicals division, a
role he took on in February when
MrDudleywas namedCEO of the
company and Riley Bechtel moved
to the chairman’s position.
Bechtel executive vice president
Jack Futcher succeeds Brendan
Bechtel as president of theOil,Gas,
&Chemicals business.
Bechtel is the largest contractor
in the US. It was ranked no. 7 in
theworld in
iC’s
rankingof the 200
largest global players.
EGYPT
Suez expansionannounced
The Egyptian government has
announced plans for a new Suez
Canal waterway to increase
capacity of the link between the
Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
The scheme calls for a new 45
mile (72 km) channel to be built,
allowing two-way traffic along part
of the route.
At present the Suez Canal is only
wide enough for ships to travel in
one direction, with a number of
passing places allowing two-way
traffic. The new channel would
run alongside the existing channel,
allowing permanent two-way
operation along a section of the
canal’s 120 mile (193 km) total
length.
The cost of the project is put at
EG£ 60 billion (US$ 8.4 billion)
and is expected to be funded by
a combination of a government
budgetary allocations and new
government debt.
The government has said it will
not seek foreign investment for the
project andwas also looking atways
of setting up a listed company for
the scheme that Egyptian citizens
could invest in.
The increase in the canal’s
capacity is partly in reaction to the
expansionof thePanamaCanal and
proposed new Atlantic to Pacific
freight routes in Nicaragua and
Guatemala.These new routes could
threaten traffic levels for the Suez
Canal for ships travelling between
Asia and the North American east
coast.
The 145 year-old Suez Canal
earns some US$ 5 billion per year
for Egypt in toll revenues. More
than 17,000 vessels use the route
each year.
