Saipem SpA, Europe's largest oilfield service provider, has won a $1 billion oilsands contract for the Sunrise Energy Project.
The contract is for the engineering, procurement and construction of two plants that will produce a total of 60,000 barrels per day of bitumen, Milanbased Saipem said Friday in a statement.
Saipem operates in Calgary through Snamprogetti Canada, which has been recruiting in Canada from its Calgary base. Saipem is 43 per cent owned by Italy's Eni SpA, Europe's fifth-biggest integrated oil and gas firm by market value.
The contract was awarded by Calgary-based Husky Energy Inc. for the oilsands project northeast of Fort McMurray.
BP PLC and Husky agreed this week to start work on the first phase of the $2-billion project, scheduled to start producing in 2014.
Snamprogetti first entered the Canadian market in 2005, after winning a contract with SNC Lavalin to build hydrotreaters for the Horizon oilsands project, owned by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.
