Foster Wheeler Ltd’s UK and Nigerian subsidiaries, Foster Wheeler Energy Limited and Foster Wheeler (Nigeria) Limited, which are both part of its Global Engineering and Construction Group, in a joint venture with Chiyoda Corporation have been awarded a contract by Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) for the Project Specification, or front-end engineering design, for the SevenPlus project.

The SevenPlus project involves the construction of two new natural gas liquefaction trains, each producing 8.5 million metric tonnes of LNG per annum, at NLNG's Bonny Island LNG complex in Nigeria. On completion, these will be the two largest LNG trains in the world. NLNG is a partnership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Shell, Total and ENI.

The terms of the contract were not disclosed, and the award was included in Foster Wheeler's fourth-quarter 2006 bookings.

Foster Wheeler and its joint venture partner will produce a project specification package, which will form the basis for an invitation to bid for an engineering, procurement and construction contract.

"Foster Wheeler is proud to be leading this joint venture," said Steve Davies, chairman and chief executive officer, Foster Wheeler Energy Limited. "This award demonstrates NLNG's confidence in the quality and experience of our technical experts and our LNG track record. We are committed to working with NLNG to meet its objectives including safety, quality, cost, schedule and local content."

"We welcome Foster Wheeler's leadership in our plans to design and build the world's two largest LNG trains in Nigeria," commented Chinasa Ego-Osuala, expansion co-ordinator, Nigeria LNG Limited. "Foster Wheeler has over 30 years' experience in Nigeria and brings substantial LNG liquefaction expertise from other LNG projects in Australia, the Middle East and the Far East."