6.4) By 2030, ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity
Bechtel has helped Jubail, a 1,106 square kilometer (427 square miles) major industrial and residential complex in Saudi Arabia that accounts for 7% of the country’s GDP, address water scarcity and wastewater issues by developing a recycled water master plan. In addition, district cooling is being implemented to provide cooling for the Jubail University College and City Center, which will be fed by recycled water.
Bechtel is also working with Antofagasta Minerals on the Los Pelambres desalination plant in Los Vilos, in northern-central Chile’s Coquimbo Region. Since Los Pelambres experiences acute water scarcity at times, the desalination plant has been designed to produce 34,500 cubic meters (9 million gallons) per day of industrial water. Bechtel manages interdependent scopes of work such as marine intake and outfall structures; desalination plants; pumping system; and mining infrastructure. The company also creates integrated design parameters to eliminate interface risk in execution and operations.
Since 2000, Bechtel has delivered desalination projects that provide more than one million cubic meters (294 million gallons) per day of desalination capacity and more than 2,200 kilometers (1,367 miles) of pipelines. The combination constitutes what the company defines as Water Delivery Systems - large scale facilities to treat and transport water over long distances.
8.2) Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labor-intensive sectors
For many growing markets, large and mega-construction projects like infrastructure and energy are a catalyst for rapid development.
Bechtel was granted mega engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for all three-liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects on Curtis Island in Australia. These contracts are the most common form of contract used to undergo construction works by the private sector. This project is the largest greenfield construction project in Bechtel’s century-long history.
The construction phase of these projects offered immediate employment opportunities and stimulated the local economy. These employment opportunities arose through Bechtel’s range of training programs, including a unique apprenticeship program. The apprenticeship program offered five trades focusing on training workers in areas such as electrical fitter mechanic; instrumentation and control; boiler making; sheet metal; mechanical fitting and carpentry formwork.
A Centralized Training Team delivered the program and was tasked to ensure consistency across all the projects. Establishing training facilities on the three projects provided greater flexibility between building capability on-the-job and learning in the classroom. Individual mentors and full-time site-based trainers provided the full range of training requirements for each apprentice to successfully complete their required modules, to gain their trade certificate and begin working as a tradesperson on these projects and beyond.
Bechtel also partnered with the National Apprenticeship Program (NAP) as well as Skills Tech (Australian federally funded training bodies) to deliver accredited training. As part of the program, Bechtel committed to deliver 400 apprenticeship opportunities across the three Curtis Island LNG Projects.
A few notable outcomes of the program include:
436 apprentices were employed across the projects during construction
239 were adult apprentices, sourced from the existing experienced labor pool, or were eligible to receive credit for recognized prior learning
116 were traditional youth apprentices after completing school studies
107 were existing employees looking to upskill into a trade
The apprentice completion rate of 94% far exceeded the national average completion rate of about 52%. This was attributed to, among others, the site training teams, individual training programs and recognition of prior learning to shorten training period.
In addition to these notable outcomes, 23,000 employees completed the enterprise’s accredited training courses during construction which elevated skills for future employment opportunities in the construction industry. Moreover, 72 training providers were also used in the program which significantly contributed to filing the skills gap in Australia’s construction industry.
Bechtel has significantly boosted Australia’s economic productivity and workforce development through local content policies and programs. Learn more here.
8.8) Protect labor rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment
In 2017, Bechtel became a founding member of the Building Responsibly initiative. This coalition is comprised of leading global Engineering & Construction (E&C) companies dedicated to improving employee welfare as well as promoting standards, policies and practices to more effectively elevate the “whole-of-industry.” Members of the coalition share deep knowledge and practical insights to set a common standard to protect workers around the world.
Building Responsibly launched 10 Worker Welfare Principles in 2018 to engage subcontractors, governments, and other industry stakeholders around critical areas of worker vulnerability. A year later, Building Responsibly launched a series of Guidance Notes to help the coalition’s members implement the Principles. These notes were developed through drawings of E&C members’ unique experiences, supported by inputs from human rights NGOs, corporations, international organizations, civil society and other groups. In October 2019, Building Responsibly convened in London to unveil the Guidance Notes and start promoting its implementation.
Since the Principles and corresponding Notes are also aligned with international human rights standards, such as the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the ILO Core Labor Standards, any organization can adopt and implement them.
The Principles and Guidance Notes are integral to Bechtel’s 2030 enterprise sustainability goals and targets, as the company is committed to helping advance employee welfare and achieve safety, productivity and responsible engagement with all stakeholders.
Learn more about the Building Responsibly coalition here.
13.2) Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning
In order to reduce the company’s CO2 emissions, Bechtel studied its supply chain and found that the use of steel and concrete in rail projects was one of the main drivers of the company’s CO2 emissions. For this reason, during Network Rail’s Reading Station Expansion Project, Bechtel worked on implementing important design changes - all focused on reducing the amount of concrete and steel used during execution. As a result, approximately 15,000 tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2eq) and around US$15 million in cost were saved.
Additionally, improvements in construction planning and execution technology are contributing to lowering emissions. For example, 4-D simulations are assisting engineers in optimizing the use of energy-intensive machinery, such as cranes and trucks, thereby minimizing emissions. For construction equipment, electric and hybrid-fuel work vehicles are gaining popularity as heavy equipment manufacturers develop and sell efficient machines across the industry. These next-generation dozers, excavators and loaders boast impressive fuel efficiency, such as improving fuel economy by 25 percent to 40 percent (in gallons per hour), extending operators time-on-tools, and improving emissions performance.