The Company is pleased to advise that the Water Delivery Alliance which includes Sydney Water, McConnell Dowell, Bovis Lend Lease, KBR, Worley Parsons and Environmental Resource Management, has successfully reached three significant milestones for the Sydney Desalination Plant Distribution Network project.

On 26 August 2009 the team successfully completed pipelaying across Botany Bay which included world first tandem laying of twin 1,422 mm diameter pipes 7,015m across Botany Bay from Kyeemagh to Silver Beach at Kurnell. The pipes were installed from a purpose built laybarge called the Nebula. The 100 m by 30 m wide and 35 m high pipelay vessel was delivered to site on 14 February 2009, commissioned on 29 April 2009 and was working nearly 24 hours a day for most of the duration of the pipelay over about four months (May - August). Separate supply barges transferred the 12 m long pipes each weighing 32 t from the temporary wharf facilities on the shore at Kyeemagh out to the lay barge. The pipes were steel cement lined (SCL) with an extra external 130 mm concrete coating cast on the pipe to aid in ensuring the pipe did not float during installation. Over 60 men manned the barge per shift accumulating 120,000 man-hours.

The project team also reached a significant milestone on 23 August with the completion of over 6,500 m of pipejacking activities associated with the works. The most significant microtunnelling works included an 840 m TBM tunnel under Silver Beach at Kurnell into Botany Bay to avoid damage to environmentally sensitive seagrass beds. The TBM was subsequently retrieved from a dredged excavation and towed across the Bay for removal by land-based crane at the wharf at Kyeemagh.

Tunnel drives were also completed beneath the Port Botany Freight Rail Line, Cooks River, General Holmes Drive and other significant city roads.

With the completion of these two important activities, along with the completion of above ground pipe laying on 7 September the pipeline is expected to be ready for water by early 2010. With the completion of these two important milestones and the majority of the in ground trenching pipeline complete a further milestone will be reached when the last ’y’ piece is installed on Botany Bay seabed between the twin bay pipe and the single pipe out from Silver beach.

ENDS

About McConnell Dowell Corporation Limited:

Formed in 1960, McConnell Dowell is a world-class engineering, construction, building and maintenance group employing 7,000 people throughout Australia, Asia, New Zealand, the Pacific and the Middle East.  For almost 50 years we have continually delivered the right engineering solutions for our public and private sector clients throughout our operating geographies.

McConnell Dowell’s diverse service offering includes building, electrical, marine, mechanical, pipeline, tunnelling and underground infrastructure capabilities in the key market sectors of commercial building, mining, oil and gas, petrochemical, power, public infrastructure, transport and water.

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Angeleen Jenkins
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McConnell Dowell Corporation Limited

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