Four international companies are competing for the contract, which involves drawing up basic designs for a 570,000-cubic-metres-an-hour expansion of the existing seawater system (MEED 21:3:03).

The four bidders for the FEED package are Switzerland's Electrowatt Engineering, US-based Foster Wheeler, France's Technipand the UK's Mott MacDonald, which drew up studies and conceptual designs for the project. The contract, due to be awarded by October, is expected to take about six months.

The expansion of the cooling system is being undertaken to cater for new industry in the Ras Laffan industrial area. Phase one was completed in 2003 by Athens-based Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCC)with Japan's Chiyoda Corporation(MEED 29:11:02).