The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) has announced that a new phase is underway to complete its major expansion project in Contrecœur – as three bid respondents qualified.
The international Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued on 23 November 2021 and five compliant bid packages have been evaluated.
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 12 months.
The terminal is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2026.
Despite facing several challenges and crises, the Port of Montreal moved 1.7 million TEU in 2021 and – at a time when the port facilities will soon reach maximum capacity according to the authority – the expansion project aims to increase efficiency and competitiveness.
The investment is estimated at between CAD $750 million ($580 million) and CAD $950 million ($734 million) and it is set to generate close to 8,000 direct, indirect, and induced jobs during construction and 1,200 permanent jobs during operation.
In total, it is expected that approximately 80 per cent of the economic benefits will be in Quebec.
The Port of Montreal has released that it will work with Investissement Québec to gradually roll out several initiatives aimed at maximising economic benefits in Quebec.
“The Port of Montréal’s expansion project in Contrecœur will be an important lever of economic development for years to come,” said Guy LeBlanc, President and CEO of Investissement Québec.
“We look forward to using our expertise to ensure that Quebec companies are informed about and understand the facets of the project where they can contribute, and to attract activities to the region that are complementary to establishing a container terminal.”
The MPA and Canadian National Railway have recently reached an agreement to integrate rail transport at the Contrecœur terminal.
The project for the new 1.15-million-TEU terminal was approved by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Canada after a five-year consultation period.
