Prepared for Prepared for WaterNSW
May 2026
Thank you for considering McConnell Dowell. This short capability statement explains a bit more about the benefits of working with us and showcases our capabilities and some of the interesting projects we deliver.
From remote resources and energy projects to city-shaping infrastructure, we've built thousands of quality assets and facilities.
Engineering-led, our expertise has grown steadily to span building, civil, electrical, fabrication, marine, mechanical, pipelines, rail, tunnel and underground construction..
We also understand that construction today is as much about community and sustainability as it is about concrete and steel. Our unwavering objective and commitment is to deliver what we promise to our customers, while protecting and enhancing our people, the community and the environment.
We do that through delivering projects that connect, sustain and enhance communities, and through providing career opportunities that challenge, reward and grow our people.
We also have five company values that guide our behaviours and decisions. Our values are:
Our services encompass the complete project lifecycle—from early concept design to commissioning and ongoing maintenance. We tailor each solution to suit our customer's specific project objectives and preferred delivery approach.
Our Australian Business Unit is led by an experienced group of professionals who are empowered to drive performance excellence across all our Australian operations and projects.

Our 'Win & Deliver' teams are accountable for the full lifecycle of our constructon business, including prospecting for opportunities, working with potential customers to add value in the project development phase, through to bidding for projects and delivering them.
Urban projects have included construction of two new recreational wharves at Kamay (Botany Bay); the design and installation of complex subsea pipelines for the Sydney Desalination Plant; the transformation of Penrith's CBD through the Mulgoa Road upgrade; and the refurbushment of the Overseas Passenger Terminal in the iconic Circular Quay.
Regionally, the company has constructed a new LNG gas import terminal and a tug boat facility at Port Kembla in Wollongong; upgraded the Hume Dam in Albury; duplicated the Pacific Highway between Kempsey and Kundabung; and supported ARTC with track upgrades in the Hunter Valley.
Recent projects that reflect our capabilities in sustainable power generation include the engineering, procurement and construction of the 166 MW Te Mihi Geothermal Power Station in New Zealand; the refurbishment of the 75 MW Ambuklao and 100 MW Binga Hydropower Plants in the Philippines; and the current Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project in Queensland.
We are constructing the Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project in Far North Queensland - an innovative project that involves the world-first conversion of a disused gold mine into a pumped storage hydroelectric power generation facility.
This first-of-its-kind natural battery storage facility has the potential to generate up to 250 MW of rapid response (less than 30 seconds), flexible power to Australia’s National Electricity Market.
Statkraft Norfund Power Investment Group and Aboitiz Power (SNAP) awarded us the Maris South Canal Hydro Electric Power (HEPP) project - an 8.5 MW low head hydroelectric power station in North Luzon, Philippines.
The award built on our 10 year working relationship with SNAP, who are the owners of the Ambuklao Hydro Power Plant in the Philippines, which we rehabilitated for them.
We rehabilitated the Ambuklao and Binga hydro electric powerplants for SN Aboitiz Power-Benguet (SNAP), combining expert project knowledge with proven construction techniques to complete the projects safely and efficiently.
Ambuklao was first commissioned in 1956, while the downstream Binga plant was commissioned in 1960. Both were shutdown in 1999 due to damage from an earlier earthquake.
Awarded the design and construct contract for the Bogong Power Development Project by AGL, our engineers set about developing smart design and construction strategies that ultimately reduced the project cost by A$30 million.
Consisting of a network of tunnels and shafts and the construction of a new underground hydro electric power station, the Bogong Power Development Project is the largest hydro power project constructed in Australia in 25 years.
We improved the safety and performance of one of the largest dams in the Southern Hemisphere for the NSW state government. They selected us based on the quality of our technical solution, our approach to protecting the sensitive river environment, and our strategies for minimising impacts on the nearby tourist park.
We secured the project after an extensive pre-qualification and competative early tender involvement (ETI) process.
We proposed and implemented an alternative construction approach for the Meander Dam project, with our roller compacted concrete (RCC) solution reducing environmental risk and delivering cost, productivity and program benefits for the Tasmanian Government.
Roller-compacted concrete (RCC) is a special blend of concrete that has essentially the same ingredients as conventional concrete but in different ratios. The drier mix has many time and cost benefits over conventional mass concrete, including higher rates of concrete placement, lower material costs, and lower costs associated with post-cooling and formwork
In an alliance with Brisbane Water we upgraded the Lake Manchester Dam, 25 km west of Brisbane, to meet current Australian National Committee on Large Dams (ANCOLD) guidelines. The inherent instability of the dam structure required some imaginative approaches.
The safety issues needing rectification included inadequate spillway capacity; the potential instability of the dam when water levels reached the crest of the dam; the possibility of the washing out of the downstream toe of the dam during major flood events; and potential erosion problems in the ‘plunge pool’ of the spillway.
We developed some innovative design and construction solutions to upgrade 1950s-built Cosseys Dam, after Watercare detected significant deterioration. Located in the environmentally sensitive Hunua Ranges, the earth fill structure is Auckland's third largest dam and holds 14% of the city’s water storage.
The earthfill dam stands 49 m high and 170 m long at the crest. It has a 230 m long diversion tunnel linking to a valve tower and scour systems.
We foster our 'Home Without Harm' safety culture through robust processes, effective systems, and by recognising and rewarding safe behaviours.
Our Site Safety Managers are always on our project leadership teams, ensuring safety is prioritised in all site activities. Every team member has clear safety responsibilities, aimed at protecting themselves, their colleagues, and the community.
We're also leading our industry in the adoption of new safety technologies, like virtual reality plant simulators and AI-enabled blind spot elimination. Check out the case studies below for more information.
Underpinning it all are our Safety Golden Rules. Built on our long-term collective knowledge and learnings, they are specifically targeted at preventing fatalities and serious injuries.

Our approach is clearly articulated in our Sustainability Policy.
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We've embraced the circular economy, renewed local ecologies, reconnected habitats, and lowered energy use across our projects in line with our {tip title="Carbon Reduction Roadmap" content="
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We set energy and waste reduction targets on every project and are committed to making our environmental footprint as small as possible, as showcased in the recent case studies below.
That's from ensuring everyone goes Home Without Harm, to making a positive and meaningful impact on the well-being and prosperity of our employees, stakeholders, and the communities we engage with. This focus aligns seamlessly with our purpose of 'Providing a Better Life'.
Our commitment begins with our rigorous safety management system and extends to maximising local employment and supply opportunities, as well as delivering needs-based community support and uplift initiatives through our projects.
Thank you for taking an interest in McConnell Dowell's skills, capabilities and approach. Additional information is available on our website, including additional project case studies.
Contact us through the link(s) at the bottom for advice or assistance with your project.
Toby Herniman
Pre-Contracts Manager - NSW & ACT
M: +61 478 946 769
toby.herniman@mcdgroup.com LinkedIn