The $A270 million Fourth Parallel Transmission Pipeline Stage 2 (FTP2) Project was awarded to McConnell Dowell Constructors Thailand Limited in June 2014 by PTT Public Company Ltd (PTT).
In order to assist in resourcing this very fast track project, MCD Thailand partnered with Consolidated Contracting Company (CCC).
The project will secure gas distribution within Thailand and will meet the increasing demand of industry and power plants in the central and eastern regions, supplying approximately 1,700 MMcf/d of gas.
The original project scope involved the construction of a 293 km, 42 inch diameter API 5L X70 pipeline between the LNG terminal in Mapthaphut Industrial Estate and the Wang Noi Kaeng Khoi pipeline tie-in in Saraburi Province.
The pipeline traversed six provinces of Thailand and included the construction of 18 block valve stations, a mid-line pig launcher/receiver station, a gas dispatching facility, Kaeng Khoi delivery Station, DCS, SCADA, instrumentation control and communications.
The FTP2 contract scope awarded to McConnell Dowell consists of completing 60 km of high-pressure gas pipeline of the original 297 km scope let to a previous contractor.
Work is spread over 300 km and involves significant trenchless pipe installation in addition to construction of significant above-ground facilities.
A trenchless success
The FTP2 Project involves in excess of 20 km of trenchless pipe installation, including 3 km of thrust bores and approximately 20 km of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) and Direct Pipe installation.
At peak construction, key equipment included six HDD rigs, two Direct Pipe rigs, and six thrust boring rigs operating concurrently, in addition to conventional pipeline installation and facilities construction teams.
Overcoming challenges with trenchless
Dealing with discontinued works made efficient pipelining works difficult.
Within the 60 km of pipeline to complete, there were 26 HDDs and Direct Pipe crossings, 61 bores, 77 open cut sections averaging 200 m in length, 45 waterway crossings and 189 road crossings.
In addition, 157 km of right of way had to be cleaned up and damaged or unusable fibre optic cable conduit repaired or replaced.
“Taking over these incomplete works presented several challenges, as the unfinished nature of the previous works meant there were numerous tie ins and difficult crossings to complete,” said Project Manager Rod Blackwell, who, despite his extensive international experience, was working on his first project in Thailand on the FTP2 Project.
On top of this, the project’s owner, PTT, required the outstanding works to be completed before the 2015 wet season.
McConnell Dowell mobilised extensive resources including multiple thrust bore, HDD and Direct Pipe spreads, working on multiple fronts simultaneously.
“The large number of HDDs and bores required to be executed concurrently was a significant challenge,” Mr Blackwell explained.
The company also utilised its own fabrication facility in Thailand to expedite the fabrication of all outstanding structural, mechanical and piping needed for the 18 block valves and end of line facilities, saving considerable time.
Much of the work was undertaken in brownfield environments adjacent to busy highways, utility services, watercourses, and residential and commercial dwellings.
“The planning and logistics associated with delivering such a large project with numerous physical constraints was a major focus for the team,” said Mr Blackwell.
“We mobilised a huge number of crew buses, crane trucks, water trucks, low boys, and fuel trucks to distribute people, materials, consumables, and equipment around the project. A strong land liaison team, long-term McConnell Dowell Thai supervisors and experienced expatriate personnel worked closely with both the client and consultant to deliver the project safely and with minimal disruption to the local community,” he said.
Focus on safety
Proactive safety management contributed significantly to the project’s success.
“This has included a tailored project induction, timely and consistent communication with all stakeholders and innovative engineering solutions,” said Mr Blackwell.
“These have been effective in mitigating risk to the workforce as well as the general public.”
During April, the McConnell Dowell team achieved the significant safety milestone of working three million hours LTI free.
This milestone was achieved whilst delivering a complex, fast track project with significant terrain, environmental, safety, logistics and stakeholder challenges, whilst maintaining a peak site workforce that exceeded 2,800 located at over 50 discrete work locations.
As at early June, the project is 93 per cent completed, with phase 1 already completed and less than 1 km of open cut pipeline and one trenchless crossing left on phase 2.
The crew is focusing on final terminations and pre-commissioning.