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Chinese Contractor Dumped from £300m Swansea Bay Project

A Chinese contractor has been dropped from the £300m Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon project.
China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) had been contracted to carry out the work after they were chosen as the preferred bidder in 2015 to construct the six mile Swansea Bay lagoon wall.
However, it has since been discovered that CHEC’s design plan has ‘limited workability’ and the work on the marine is once again up for grabs, with Belgian contractor ‘Jan de Nul’ thought to be among the companies expressing an interest in the project.
On top of this, it has been revealed that Andrew McNaughton, former chief executive at Balfour Beatty, has quit the project.
Mr McNaughton succeeded Steve Hollingshead as engineering and construction director in April last year and will now pass the baton on to Mike Unsworth, who initially joined the project in August last year to aid Mr McNaughton.
Mr Unsworth, who has previous experience working in the business of offshore windfarms, said that CHEC were unable to show them that they were offering value for money.
Meanwhile, a Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay Plc (TLSB) spokesperson commented that the group have now decided to retender the project and want to secure a contract with a company that offers the best value for money to both consumers and investors.
They added that the change of contractor was just one change that happened in the wake of a review of the project’s work packages and will not have an affect the delivery timetable or funding for the project.
The spokesperson also thanked CHEC for its input and help in preparing the world-first energy project.
The project is estimated to cost around £1bn and has already been granted planning permission, although there is still work to be done on the financial side of the project with a former energy minister set to lead an independent review on behalf of the Government.

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BDC 315 : Apr 2024