Pennecon to complete Astaldi’s Muskrat Falls contract
Pennecon Ltd. has been awarded a contract from Nalcor Energy to complete remaining work left by Astaldi Canada when it was ordered off the worksite in late-october.
“Pennecon, a Newfoundland and Labrador company, is familiar with the Muskrat Falls Project and we are confident that their project experience will ensure this work is completed safely and effectively,” read a statement from Nalcor CEO Stan Marshall on Thursday.
“The company understands Nalcor’s established hiring protocols which provide hiring preferences for qualified members of Innu Nation first, followed by Labradorians and then residents of the island.”
Nalcor has stated that Astaldi’s work is around 95 per cent complete. On Thursday, Nalcor reiterated a “commitment” to the existing cost and schedule of the project, saying further delays are not expected and the cost will not balloon beyond $12.7 billion.
Pennecon already has a number of contracts on the Muskrat Falls site. Most notably, Pennecon, in partnership with United States-based Barnard construction, has been working on the North and South dams on the project. The dams are expected to be completed by July, 2019.
Elsewhere, 129 non-unionized former Astaldi workers are likely to be without pay owed for work completed after Oct. 20.
Natural Resources Minister Siobhan Coady indicated on Wednesday that court proceedings between Astaldi and Nalcor remain on-going and will not conclude before Christmas.