Kiewit Offshore gas-extraction platform used at the Tamar gas field was built at a Kiewit modular site in Texas. Related Links: Israel Seeks First LNG Terminal Builder Offshore Infrastructure Projects Loom in Israel With natural gas set to fuel 80% of Israel's power production by 2020 following the discovery, in 2009, of two large fields off its Mediterranean Sea coast, the country now is pushing to expand storage and transportation infrastructure, both offshore and on land. Despite environmental opposition, billions are set to be invested.Israel's National Planning Commission on Nov. 11 cleared two projects in central and northern Israel to

Israel Electric Smokestack removal was a condition for building a new natural-gas-fired powerplant at the site of a 60s-era oil-burning power station in Haifa. In a first of a kind operation in Israel, two 80-meter-high smokestacks at a Haifa power plant built in the 1960s have been dismantled by utilty Israel Electric Corp.The facility was replaced by a $750-million combined cycle plant supplied by Siemans that came on line last year. Its two units are 370 MW each.The oil-burning smokestacks at the original 140-MW Haifa Power Station were, for decades, among the most visible landmarks in the skyline of the

Related Links: Israel Seeks More Global Skill in New Rail Line Expansions Jerusalems Signature Span Is New Landmark in Old City Tel Aviv's Long-Delayed Rail Megaproject Is Finally Under Way With ridership on Jerusalem's first light-rail line more than double initial projections, officials in the city and the country's Transportation Ministry are moving ahead with plans for five new lines.Officials report that 140,000 riders now use the train on a regular day. The expansions could bring that number to 250,000, they say.The existing red line is to be expanded to 36.2 kilometers from 13.9 km to two new neighborhoods, Neve

Related Links: Israel Firm Awarded Contract at Record-Size Desal Plant in California Tampa Bay is Ready to Test Whether Fixed Plant is Worth its Salt Many hopes are riding on the new $1-billion, 54-million-gallon-a-day seawater desalination plant and pipeline in Carlsbad, Calif. If successful, the project, made possible through one of the first public-private partnerships of its kind in the U.S., could serve as a model for other projects around the country.If the project falters, however, the growing momentum for similar U.S. seawater desalination projects could face a reversal, industry observers say."It is being watched closely right now," says Peter

Related Links: Israel Railway projects Tight Timetable and Historic Site Test Bridge Approach in Israel Israel Railways has resumed work on the country's two longest tunnels nearly three weeks after finding a 60-centimeter deviation from the planned route of the Tel Aviv-to-Jerusalem high-speed-rail line.The cause of the deviation in the twin 11.6-kilometer tunnels is still under investigation by Israel Railways, Israeli contractor Shapir Civil and Marine Engineering Ltd. and the Italian operator of the project's tunnel-boring machines."The solution ... involved a realignment of the TBM and will not have any impact on the route or project timetable," says Dror Sofro,

Danya Cebus Ltd. Construction of new 800-meter Motsa Bridge spans near Jerusalem will allow access to historic sites below. Archaeological excavations are under way of ancient military camps at project site. Related Links: Danya Cebus Ltd. website Website of Finley Engineering Group A major archeological site underneath and a tight timetable forced engineers to improvise solutions on a key bridge project that is part of the $800-million upgrade of Israel's main highway connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.Work on the two 800-meter-long precast spans on the Motsa Bridge along Highway 1 began in late August, part of a major rehabilitation and

Related Links: World Bank Studies Support $10B Water Project for Dead Sea Jordan is planning a scaled-back version of a long-touted water-delivery project linking the Red Sea and the Dead Sea. It would supply the kingdom and possibly southern Israel, Jordanian officials announced on Aug. 19.The proposed project's first phase would involve building a 100-cubic-meter-per-year desalination plant at a cost of about $1 billion, less than one-tenth of the price tag of the far more ambitious project that had been envisioned for decades.Earlier this year, a World Bank-funded study, ongoing since 2008, concluded that the larger, $10-billion water-pipeline project is

Germany’s Siemens AG has won an international tender to build and operate what would be its first independent powerplant in Israel, a 413-MW, combined-cycle natural-gas project with an estimated value of $600 million.The project award comes as Israel weighs increasing the market share of private power producers and awards contracts for two new privatized ports.The German company beat out South Korea’s Hyundai and France’s Alstom SA for the power contract with an aggressive bid, according to published reports.The Siemens project will be located in an industrial zone at Be'er Tuvia, located in Israel's southern coastal plain, near Ashdod, which is

Abengoa SA Solar thermal plant's developers will build the $1-billion facility in the Israeli desert and operate it for 28 years. Related Links: Shikun & Binui Holdings Ltd. website Units of Shikun & Binui Holdings Ltd., the Israeli real estate, construction, water and energy conglomerate, won key roles last month on high-profile projects domestically and in Africa.Subsidiary Shikun & Binui Renewable Energy and its Spanish partner, Abengoa SA, make up a consortium called Negev Energy, which won an Israeli government build-operate-transfer (BOT) tender for a 121-MW solar-thermal powerplant in Ashalim, in the country's Negev region.The project, expected to cost more

Rendering Courtesy of Israel Airports Authority New international airport will be built in Israel's southern Arava Desert to better serve the growing Red Sea resort city of Eilat. Related Links: Israel Moves Forward on Port Expansion and Bridgebuilding Israel Seeks Global Bidders for Major Transportation Projects Israel's first commercial greenfield airport since its independence in 1948 is sited in the Arava Desert, 18 kilometers north of the resort of Eilat, to replace an existing facility that doesn't handle jumbo jets or international traffic.The Israel Airports Authority will prequalify international construction teams late this month for the $450-million turnkey project in