Antarctica’s Scott Base rebuild project halted as Government contract talks break down

A project to rebuild Antarctica’s Scott Base research station has been put on hold as contract talks between the Government and the redevelopment contractor have broken down.

Antarctica NZ confirmed it has been unable to reach an agreement on commercial terms with Timaru-based contractor Leighs Construction and will now consider “a range of options” on how to progress the project.

The base was due for a $344 million revamp after a government budget allocation in 2021.

Leighs Construction was chosen as the preferred contractor to carry out the Scott Base upgrade and said at the time of its appointment it would be recruiting locally in Timaru - where the station would be built.

“It’s not every day you get to build an Antarctic research station on your back doorstep,” Leighs chief executive Gary Walker said at the time.

The base was due for a $344m revamp after a government budget allocation in 2021. Photo / Anthony Powell

The plan forecast the creation of 170 jobs during the construction of the new base between now and 2025. Just under 80 per cent of the total budget, $273m, was set to be spent with New Zealand.

However, Antarctica NZ is now set to “consider a range of options on how to progress the project” after not being able to, “at this stage”, reach an agreement on commercial terms with Leighs Construction Ltd.

Antarctica NZ chief executive Sarah Williamson said the process, which could take 10 weeks, will utilise a team of external and internal experts.

“Some of the work already under way at Scott Base will continue in preparation for a recommended option,” said Williamson.

“This includes the upgrade to the Ross Island Wind Energy system.”

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Williamson said maintaining a presence in Antarctica is of strategic importance to New Zealand and that Antarctica New Zealand is committed to the successful delivery of the redevelopment project.

She expects the station’s upgrade will allow Antarctic research for at least another five decades.

Antarctica NZ is now set to re-evaluate its choices and carry out an options analysis into the next steps for the rebuild. Photo / Mark Mitchell

“A full research season will begin this month and will be unaffected by the options analysis process,” she said.

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“It is imperative that Antarctic and Southern Ocean science continues to investigate how the continent and its ecosystems will be impacted by climate change, and how those changes will influence the rest of the planet.”

Plans were for the base to be built in Timaru and then shipped to the Ross Sea. Leighs Construction’s founder Anthony Leighs said it was the lower-risk, more efficient way to complete the project.

With space for a team of 100 researchers and contractors, the project has been slated to be a significant upgrade on the current facilities at Pram Point in the Ross Sea.

The Herald was given a tour of a Canterbury warehouse where sections of the living quarters were mapped out, 3800km north of where its foundations will ultimately settle on the frozen edge of Ross Island.

All 10,000 square metres of the building were set to be moved at once.

Sections of living quarters were built out of cardboard at a 1 to 1 scale to map out the layout of the upgraded station.

Due to New Zealand’s international commitments to the Antarctic Treaty, no waste materials can remain on the continent. All parts of the decommissioned base must be returned to New Zealand.