What are EPC Companies and What Do They Do in Oil and Gas?
Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors play an integral part in delivering mega-scale infrastructure projects for the oil and gas industry. As energy companies ramp up capital investment amid rising demand, EPC firms provide vital expertise for complex new facilities.
What Are EPC Companies and What Do They Do?
EPC companies handle the end-to-end process of designing, procuring, constructing, and commissioning major assets like liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants, offshore platforms, pipelines, and refineries on behalf of operators. They integrate engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction, and project management to execute multi-billion dollar projects.
Hiring an EPC contractor gives operators a single point of accountability. Rather than coordinating dozens of contractors and vendors themselves, the operator leverages the EPC firm's project management expertise. This simplifies execution and provides cost and schedule certainty.
The EPC firm serves as the overall program manager, responsible for inheriting the operator's design basis and delivering a functioning facility. The EPC contractor handles permitting, detailed engineering design, equipment sourcing, inspection, expediting, fabrication, construction, commissioning, and may even provide staff augmentation.
Top EPC Firms Serving the Oil and Gas Industry
The oil and gas industry relies on a handful of huge multinational EPC contractors to deliver its largest projects. Firms like TechnipFMC, Saipem, McDermott, Fluor, CB&I, Bechtel, Petrofac, and Chiyoda Corporation handle multi-billion dollar offshore, onshore, LNG, pipeline, and petrochemical projects worldwide.
These global EPC contractors have established expertise in hydrocarbons processing and offshore facilities. Many of the national oil companies and supermajors like Saudi Aramco, Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP are recurring clients for these major EPC firms.
Leading EPC Contractors in the United States
The United States is home to several EPC giants like Fluor, Bechtel, and Jacobs Engineering that rank among the largest global contractors. Other major U.S. firms serving oil and gas include McDermott, KBR, CB&I, Granite Construction, Mott MacDonald, Black & Veatch, and Zachry Group. In total, the top 20 U.S. EPC contractors in oil and gas are:
- Fluor
- Bechtel
- Jacobs Engineering
- McDermott
- KBR
- CB&I
- Zachry Group
- Middough
- Black & Veatch
- Granite Construction
- Matrix Service
- Mott MacDonald
- Performance Contractors
- Burns & McDonnell
- Kiewit
- AECOM
- Turner Industries
- EMCOR Group
- TIC Holdings
- Primoris Services
Top European EPC Firms
Europe is home to some of the world's oldest and most renowned EPC contractors serving oil and gas clients globally. European contractors at the top of the industry include:
- Saipem
- TechnipFMC
- Petrofac
- Amec Foster Wheeler
- Tecnicas Reunidas
- John Wood Group
- Bilfinger
- Sener Group
- Tecnicas Reunidas
- Applus+
- NUVIA
- Sofresid
- SPIE
- Bilfinger
- Linde
- Atkins
- ABB
- Altrad
- Stork
- TÜV SÜD
Major Asian EPC Contractors
Rapid energy demand growth throughout Asia has given rise to many large EPC contractors headquartered in the region. The top Asian firms in oil and gas EPC include:
- Samsung Engineering
- Hyundai E&C
- Daewoo E&C
- GS E&C
- Daelim Industrial
- Larsen & Toubro
- NPCC
- Punj Lloyd
- Shapoorji Pallonji
- Afcons Infrastructure
- Gammon Construction
- CTCI Corporation
- SKEC
- Toyo Engineering
- Chiyoda Corporation
- JGC Corporation
- Yamaguchi Construction
- Cosmo Engineering
- China Petroleum Engineering
- Sinopec Engineering Group
- COSCO Shipping
- Wison Engineering
- Shanghai Electric Group
- Surbana Jurong
- Toyo Engineering India
- Tata Projects
- Adani Group
- Dodsal Group
- Essar Projects
- LTHE
Top Middle East EPC Firms
The Middle East accounts for huge investments in new oil and gas infrastructure. EPC contractors play a major role in delivering these strategic energy projects. Top Middle East-based EPC contractors include:
- Petrofac
- NPCC
- Dodsal
- Al Jaber Group
- Arabtec
- ALEC Engineering
- Gulf Contracting
- Al Hassan Group
- Target Engineering Construction Company
- Habtoor Leighton Group
- Senaat
- Al Faraa Group
- Pragma Engineering
- Al Turki Enterprises
- Joannou & Paraskevaides (Overseas)
Leading Canada-Based EPC Companies
Canada is home to some of the largest EPC firms supporting oil and gas projects:
- SNC-Lavalin
- Aecon Group
- Bird Construction
- Stuart Olson
- Ledcor Group
- EllisDon
- Chandos Construction
- PCL Construction
- Bot Construction Group
- Colliers Project Leaders
Top Australia EPC Firms
Major Australian EPC contractors serving oil and gas projects include:
- WorleyParsons
- CIMIC Group
- Laing O'Rourke
- Lendlease
- John Holland
The Next Wave of Oil and Gas Investment
As global energy demand rebounds, oil and gas companies are ramping up capital investment into new projects. EPC contractors will be crucial in transforming these investments into functioning infrastructure. Their specialized project delivery expertise helps manage the risks of megaprojects.
Major new investments planned include LNG export facilities in North America and Africa, offshore deepwater platforms in Brazil and Guyana, pipelines across North America, Russia and China, and refinery capacity in Asia. EPC firms will need to expand their capacity to deliver this new wave of complex oil and gas projects in the coming years.