Webuild acquires Clough, Tallawarra B project

The announcement provides some clarity for the project, which was thrown into limbo when Clough announced it could no longer pay its debts.

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Clough and GE were assigned to deliver the gas-hydrogen power plant on the shores of Lake Illawarra on behalf of EnergyAustralia.

Tallawarra B had a tight schedule to be completed by the start of the peak demand period of the 2023-2024 summer after the closure of Liddell power station scheduled for April this year.

An EnergyAustralia spokesperson said the project remained on track.

"Construction remains on track with the power station due to be completed later this year," the spokesperson said.

Once complete, the Tallawarra B power station will provide electricity during peak demand periods. The power plant will have the capacity to produce electricity from natural gas as well as hydrogen.

At the time of Clough's collapse in December, Webuild was in discussions to purchase Clough off its South African parent company, however the negotiations had fallen through.

Webuild CEO Patrick Salini said the renewed agreement will ensure that Clough's pipeline of projects achieve completion.

"The integration of skills of the people of Clough and Webuild will guarantee the realisation of quality projects for customers and territories," he said.

In addition to the Tallawarra project, Clough was tasked with delivering Snowy 2.0 and parts of the Inland Rail project in regional NSW.

EnergyAustralia will provide a more detailed update on the progress of Tallawarra B once the terms of the purchase are finalised in the coming weeks.

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