Aberdeen-based global engineering and consulting group Wood plc announced it secured $580 million of contracts in the Middle East and won another deal in Chile to support Santiago’s public transport system.
The Middle East contracts awarded are in Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE.
Wood said it has “completed the mobilisation” of over 600 new employees, with recruitment underway for an additional 200 roles.
The Aberdeen group operates in more than 60 countries, employing around 40,000 people.
“Wood marks a year of strategic growth in the Middle East region following a suite of contract awards and strategic framework renewals across its consulting, projects and operations business units, accumulating in $580 million of secured backlog in 2021 …” said Wood.
“Significant awards in 2021 include a multi-million dollar contract with Saudi Aramco to deliver engineering and project management services for the Safaniyah and Manifa oilfields in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an agreement from ADNOC to perform Pre Front-End Engineering and Design work for a world-scale blue ammonia production facility in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi, as well as front end engineering, detailed engineering, procurement and EPC contract management solutions for a long-term client in Iraq.”
Craig Shanaghey, Wood’s President of Operations across Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: “We are delighted to have seen the continued growth of our business in the Middle East, where we have a rich heritage and have supported the energy industry for more than 85 years.
“The global pandemic has brought many challenges and it is encouraging to see how the energy industry in the region is not only recovering but also thriving, as it takes a leading role in the quest for a more balanced, integrated and lower carbon energy mix.”
On the Santiago contract, Wood said it will provide engineering solutions to support Santiago’s growing public transport system following a new contract award from Metro S.A.
“More than 2.5 million people rely on the Metro every day in Santiago, and as it plays such a vital role in serving the city, the latest expansion is a bid to reduce overcrowding on existing lines and bring the benefits of metro-connectivity to the peripheral areas of the city.
“It serves the main urban development axis of the capital and complements the network in parallel to the demanded Line 1.
“The future Line 7 will connect with the main commercial and business centres of the capital, and it is projected as a new main source of sustainable public transport for the city.
“Wood’s scope covers section C of Line 7, which will be developed in the eastern part of Santiago and includes the detailed design of six stations requiring architecture, structural, civil, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation expertise.
“Ahead of this phase, Wood executed the detailed engineering for the tunnel and shafts to support section C of Line 7.”
Wood added: “State-owned Metro S.A. has trusted Wood with its transit system design since the 1970s, with Wood delivering conceptual, basic, and detailed engineering solutions as part of Lines 1 through 6, in addition to providing site supervision as part of the Metro S.A. team.
“In all, Wood has engineered more than 120 km of the metro development in the city.
“A team of 45 engineers will execute the 13-month engineering contract out of Wood’s office in Santiago, as part of a broader 24-month contract to provide site engineering support during the construction phase.”