Work on major LNG projects involving Western Australian companies is progressing with $580 million worth of contracts awarded in the past few days.
Apache Energy has announced it has awarded three separate contracts for its Julimar Development Project worth a combined total of $500 million.
The project developing the natural gas fields in the Carnarvon Basin will lead to gas being fed into the Wheatstone LNG project operated by Chevron.
Apache has contracted the Australian arms of Swiss-based Allseas Construction Contractors and UK-based Subsea 7 for transportation pipeline and equipment.
US company Oceaneering International Services Limited has won the contract to supply a 25 kilometre long electro-hydraulic umbilical.
Apache managing director Thomas Maher said it was the largest set of contracts awarded to date and was a significant milestone for the Julimar project.
Meanwhile Perth-based engineering contractor Clough has won an $80 million contract with its joint venture partner Transfield Services for pre-construction work of compression facilities for the Queensland Curtis Liquefied Natural Gas Project.
The contract is for the first stage of early site civil works and front end planning work for the compression facilities with work beginning this month.
The company is tipped to conduct further work to construct and fabricate the eight compression stations and two processing plants on completion of the first phase of work.
Work on the second phase is expected to begin in early 2013 and be completed in mid-2014.