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Balfour Beatty selected for power alliance contract in New Zealand

Alliance contract valued at NZ$230 million (£82 million) to carry out overhead line works on the North Island Grid Upgrade Project

Balfour Beatty, the international engineering, construction, services and investment Group, announces today that it has signed an alliance agreement with Transpower, which owns and operates New Zealand’s high-voltage electricity transmission grid, for the construction of the proposed transmission line from Whakamaru to Auckland.

The contract, valued at NZ$230 million (£82 million) will be carried out in joint venture by Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions, the Group’s specialist electricity, gas and water utilities engineering and construction business, and United Group Limited, the Australasian engineering and property services company.  The award is conditional on the final decision of the Board of Inquiry process currently underway.

This success follows the recent announcement that Balfour Beatty had signed an alliance agreement, in joint venture with United Group Limited, with ATCO Electric to help ATCO Electric complete its capital programme and to meet electrical transmission needs in Alberta, Canada in a contract worth approximately $C700 million (£368 million) to the alliance over the next five years.

The Transpower project involves the design, supply and construction of a 400kV-capable overhead line approximately 186 km long and forms part of the proposed North Island Grid Upgrade Project.

Commenting on the alliance agreement, Balfour Beatty Chief Executive, Ian Tyler, said:

“We are delighted to have been selected by Transpower to construct the proposed transmission line from Whakamaru to Auckland, which will help provide security of supply to the upper North Island. We look forward to deploying our expertise and resources, working in joint venture with United Group Limited, to deliver this important project.”

Construction activities are scheduled to begin in 2009 and the line is expected to be commissioned in November 2011.

-ENDS-

Media/Analyst enquiries:
Tim Sharp
Tel: 020 7216 6884
www.balfourbeatty.com

Notes to Editors:

1. Transpower is the owner, operator and planner of New Zealand’s high-voltage electricity transmission grid. It comprises the electrical transmission system that stretches across both North and South Islands, connecting generation sources to local substations serving rural and urban customers. It also facilitates the competitive wholesale electricity market which underpins the pricing of electricity to all New Zealanders. More information about Transpower can be found at www.transpower.co.nz
2. Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions is the UK’s largest multi-utility solutions provider, with a strong position in international markets. It works across the water, wastewater, gas and electricity industries, providing a range of services that contribute to the maintenance and provision of utility assets. Its largest customers include National Grid, United Utilities, several regional UK water companies and utility network owners in Asia, the Middle East and North America.
3. Balfour Beatty is a world-class engineering, construction, services and investment business, well-positioned in infrastructure markets which offer significant long-term growth. We work in partnership with sophisticated customers who value the highest levels of quality, safety and technical expertise. Our skills are applied in appropriate combinations to meet individual customer needs.