More workers for Wheatstone

Downer EDI has secured a $400 million contract with Bechtel for two electrical and instrumentation packages for the downstream portion of the Chevron-operated Wheatstone project.

Under the agreement, Downer expects to create up to 600 jobs, predominantly located at the Ashburton North industrial estate, 12 kilometres west of Onslow.

The new roles will be across a variety of construction trades, mainly electrical and instrumentation. There will also be a number of new project administration and functional support roles located in Downer's Perth office.

"We are delighted to have been awarded the E&I packages on one of Australia's largest resource projects and to create employment opportunities within Australia," Downer chief executive Grant Fenn said.

"Downer is Australia's leading E&I contractor and these contracts will help us to build on our proven track record in oil and gas. We have a strong working relationship with Bechtel and look forward to working with them to deliver this important project."

Shares in Downer were 11 cents higher at $5.04 at 7:15am WST.