British builder Ledwood Mechanical Engineering has received a £13m contract to enhance the capacity of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the Isle of Grain, UK.

Ledwood will construct 300 tonnes of steel and 280 linear metres of pipes on behalf of a Vinci joint venture prior to the on-site installation and testing.

This contract is expected to create and maintain up to 65 jobs.

As part of the project to extend the capacity of the LNG terminal, this project will build a 190,000m³ liquified natural gas reservoir.

The new complete containment tank, around the size of London’s Royal Albert Hall, will be made up of a 9% nickel steel inner tank and a prestressed concrete outside shell.

Ledwood's commercial director Liam Revell said: “Having been instrumental in the construction of the UK’s first three LNG import terminals at South Hook, Dragon, and the Isle of Grain, we provide project management, manufacture and installation of pipework, tanks and mechanical engineering for the LNG sector.

“With around a million cubic metres of LNG storage capacity spread across eight tanks, Grain LNG is the UK’s leading gateway connecting global LNG to the European energy market. It is a world-class facility so we are delighted to have been chosen by EVT to complete the steel structure installation and piping prefabrication for the new LNG tank so that we can tie it in with the existing facility.”