KBR Inc. has secured a four-year contract with South Australian Water Corp. (SA Water) to support the utility’s capital delivery program, a major infrastructure effort for the South Australian Government.
The program underpins SA Water’s largest-ever investment period, with about A$3.3 billion of water infrastructure projects planned over four years. KBR won the work through a competitive tender. The new agreement extends a 15-year relationship with SA Water through 2030.
Scope of the agreement
KBR will help deliver critical water and wastewater infrastructure for SA Water’s 1.8 million customers across South Australia. The scope includes:
- dam upgrades and water tank refurbishments;
- bulk water transfer infrastructure and water main replacements;
- sewer network upgrades; and
- water and wastewater treatment plant upgrades.
The contract covers support for a portfolio rather than a single project. SA Water’s capital delivery team handles a large pipeline of work, and KBR’s role is to help design, deliver and project-manage infrastructure within that program.
Margaret Riley, KBR’s director of water, said the appointment reinforces the company’s position as a trusted partner in the water sector. She said KBR had worked alongside SA Water for 15 years on the design, delivery and project management of critical water infrastructure. Riley also said the contract reflects the team’s experience, technical capability and focus on safety, innovation and service quality, and that KBR looks forward to working closely with SA Water to deliver benefits for customers, communities and the broader South Australian economy.
Recent delivery and planned programs
Over the past year, the capital delivery team managed more than 2,000 individual projects. These included 69 kilometers of new water mains, a major upgrade of the 132-kilometer Tailem Bend to Keith pipeline, and a desalination plant for the outback town of Marree.
In the next four years, major programs supported by KBR are expected to include South Australia’s Housing Roadmap, which involves expanding water and wastewater networks to support an estimated 50,000 new homes across the state. The work is also set to include infrastructure delivery such as upgrades to the Morgan to Whyalla pipeline, South Australia’s longest water pipeline at 358 kilometers.
The contract’s scope ties KBR to both routine network renewal and larger regional projects. It also places the company inside a sustained investment cycle intended to accommodate population growth, renew assets and maintain services for communities across the state.
For SA Water, the four-year term provides continuity as the utility moves through a period of expanded spending. The planned work spans treatment, conveyance and storage assets as well as sewer networks, reflecting the breadth of the capital program KBR will support.