The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) has proceeded with the expansion project in Contrecœur with Axium Infrastructure Canada and Pomerleau Capital, Ports America Holdings and Terminal Investment Limited (TIL) being the three bid respondents that have been qualified.
The international Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued on 23 November 2021, using the Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain (DBFOM) model and the Canadian authority evaluated five compliant bid packages.
“The Request for Qualifications process confirmed the strong interest in our project locally, nationally and internationally. Citizens, consumers and the business community can look forward to yet another milestone towards the successful completion of this green and modern container terminal, especially in a global context where we need more resilient supply chains,” commented Martin Imbleau, president and chief executive officer of the MPA.
The three qualified finalists will be invited to submit bids in the Request for Proposals (RFP) phase, which will begin in the coming weeks and last approximately one year, according to a port’s statement.
The final private partner is expected to be announced in the second quarter of 2023, with financial and commercial closing in the third quarter of 2023, for a start of construction within the year. Additionally, the terminal is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2026.
MPA said this expansion project will result in increased efficiency and competitiveness for the businesses served by Montreal’s port facilities.
This investment, estimated at between US$580 million and US$740 million, will generate approximately 8,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs during construction and 1,200 permanent jobs during operation, according to the Montreal Port Authority.
“The Port of Montréal’s expansion project in Contrecœur will be an important lever of economic development for years to come,” commented Guy LeBlanc, president and CEO of Investissement Québec.
With the support of Canada Infrastructure Bank and the Government of Quebec, the Port of Montreal and its private partners intend to develop a new container terminal to handle 1.15 million TEU when completed.
