On Friday, the owners of Motiva Enterprises LLC (jointly owned by Saudi Refining, Inc. and Shell Oil Co.) approved the final investment for the project, which will add 325,000 barrels per day (b/d) to its Port Arthur, Texas, refinery.

A joint venture of Bechtel Corp. and Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. will serve as primary contractor for engineering, procurement and construction. The expansion, scheduled to be complete in 2010, will double the size of the refinery to more than 600,000 b/d production capacity. The Bechtel Jacobs joint venture had previously been awarded early site preparation work and front end design, which are well underway.

Bechtel Oil, Gas and Chemicals, Inc., President Jim Jackson said, "We are very pleased by Motiva's decision to approve the final investment for this expansion and honored to play such a major role in building this epic facility. We are bringing to the job an intense commitment to safety conforming to our 'zero accidents' philosophy, and will continue to deliver the high quality standards our customers expect."

Becon Construction Company, Inc., an affiliate of Bechtel, is heavily involved in efforts with local schools and agencies to recruit and train craft workers seeking potential employment on the project. An employment and community center is scheduled to open officially in Port Arthur in early October.

Those interested in training or employment can call (409) 722-3471 or visit www.beconconstruction.com. Suppliers and contractors seeking opportunities can register at supplier.bechtel.com (no www).

Based in San Francisco, Bechtel is one of the world's premier engineering, construction, and project management companies. Since its founding in 1898, Bechtel has worked on more than 22,000 projects in 140 countries on all seven continents. Today our 40,000 employees are teamed with customers, partners, and suppliers on hundreds of projects in nearly 50 countries.