Amec poised for œ150m job

Amec Construction has been selected as the preferred contractor to design, manage and construct the new semiconductor manufacturing facility for Korean microchip giant LG in Newport, South Wales. The work is thought to be worth around œ150 million.

However, progress on the other half of the LG plant - the œ60-70 million TV electronic components facility - has taken a different turn, with the work coming out in individual packages. Project manager WS Atkins confirmed that Tarmac has been appointed to design, manage and construct the 300m long and 100m wide building housing a production line for TV monitors.

Tarmac looks to be in a good position to take a fair amount of the remaining work, but this is not yet certain. Tarmac, Amec and Sir Robert McAlpine are still negotiating for the overall design, manage and construct package, but a decision is still one to two weeks away. WS Atkins said that in the meantime a number of packages had gone out to keep the project rolling.

The earthmoving package is nearly finished. A piling and foundations package for the monitor building has been let, though Tarmac will take over management of this. Steelwork and cladding contracts are out on two other buildings.

The other buildings include: a colour picture tube building, utilities building, a major infrastructure package and a number of other component manufacturing buildings are also included in the overall package.

On the semicon front Amec fought off bids by Tarmac and Sir Robert McAlpine to win the contract.

The project will be carried out under a guaranteed maximum price contract. Project manager Turner & Townsend and architects BDP and Korean firm Won-il.

The 120,000m2 facility will comprise wafer fabrication, package and test, utility and ancillary buildings on a 100ha site at Imperial Park near the M4 at Newport. The main part of the complex is the single level silicon wafer fabrication facility, which requires an extremely clean, vibration-free and anti-static production environment.