DALLAS - Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC) has been appointed to AusNet Services' Regulated Energy Services (RES) panel for a three-year contract, with two single-year extensions, that involves undertaking engineering and design work for its regulated transmission and distribution assets. This includes both greenfield and brownfield asset upgrades, infrastructure replacements and the delivery of new energy infrastructure in a rapidly changing and innovative sector.

A second panel agreement has also been signed by Jacobs to provide engineering and design services to AusNet Services' Commercial Energy Services (CES) unregulated business, which includes renewable energy connections. Subject to performance, this panel will cover the same length of time as the RES Panel.

"During the past decade, Jacobs has contributed to the development of significant high voltage infrastructure for AusNet Services in Victoria, with concept design support for the development of 'build, own, operate' proposals for network connections, to renewable energy developers and clients," said Jacobs Buildings and Infrastructure Asia Pacific / Middle East Senior Vice President and General Manager Patrick Hill. "We've provided interface design to successfully augment new infrastructure to the existing substations and overhead lines, and will continue to leverage our experience to help AusNet provide critical services to energy customers."

AusNet Services recently embarked on the implementation of a new corporate strategy, known as Focus 2021, intended to grow its contracted energy infrastructure (CES) asset base to $1 billion and to operate all three core networks in the top quartile of efficiency benchmarks. The support that Jacobs will provide to AusNet under the recently signed panel agreements aims to help them achieve these goals.

"Jacobs is one of our trusted partners in delivering new unregulated infrastructure projects," said AusNet Services Executive General Manager of CES Chad Hymas. "Our teams complement one another, and together we have moved well beyond the traditional service provider/principal relationship."

As the largest energy delivery service business in the Australian state of Victoria, AusNet Services owns and operates approximately $8.3 billion (A$11 billion) of electricity and gas distribution assets that connect into more than one million customers.