BMVT Consortium Awarded Engineering, Procurement and Construction Contract for Mexico LNG Receipt Terminal

Overland Park, Kan. (Feb. 9, 2005) – A Black & Veatch-led consortium (BMVT) comprised of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan, Vinci Construction Grands Projets of France and Techint SA de CV of Mexico announced today that it has been awarded the approximately $500 million engineer, procure, construct (EPC) contract for Sempra LNG, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), at its Energia Costa Azul LNG receipt terminal located 14 miles north of Ensenada, Mexico. The consortium, referred to as BMVT, was awarded the EPC contract due to the strengths of each of the partners.

“Consumption of LNG is expanding sharply today as a result of increased global demand for natural gas, and improved LNG production and transportation economics,” said Black & Veatch Vice President of LNG Technology Brian Price. “This increasing demand is driving plans for construction of LNG terminals worldwide. In Mexico, plans to construct new LNG receipt terminals are also going forward in conjunction with the country’s aim to diversify its energy resources.”

The large-scale LNG receipt terminal will encompass an LNG jetty, unloading facilities, LNG storage tanks and regasification facilities. The terminal, which is the first to be located along the Pacific coast of the Americas, will be capable of receiving 7.6 million tons of LNG per year and processing one billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. The contract calls for construction of two above-ground LNG tanks, each having a storage capacity of 160,000 cubic meters.

LNG will be imported from LNG loading terminals in Sakhalin, Russia, and Tangguh, Indonesia. When completed in 2008, the terminal will supply gas for power generation and household use throughout Baja California, enabling Mexico to become self-reliant in those areas. Currently, the country has had to import natural gas from the United States.

Black & Veatch and Techint SA de CV will undertake terminal design and construction work, including LNG regasification and LNG unloading facilities. MHI and Vinci Construction Grands Projets will be responsible for construction of the LNG storage tanks.

LNG is natural gas that has been cooled below minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit and condensed into a liquid. LNG occupies 600 times less space than in its gaseous state, which allows it to be shipped in cryogenic tankers from remote locations to markets where it is needed. At the receiving terminal, LNG is unloaded and stored until it can be vaporized back into natural gas and moved via pipeline to customers.

About Black & Veatch
Black & Veatch Corporation is a leading global engineering, consulting and construction company specializing in infrastructure development in the fields of energy, water and information. Founded in 1915, Black & Veatch serves its clients with conceptual and preliminary engineering services, engineering design, procurement, construction, financial management, asset management, information technology, environmental, security design and consulting, and management consulting services. The employee-owned company has more than 90 offices worldwide. Black & Veatch is ranked on the Forbes “500 Largest Private Companies in the U.S.” listing for 2004. The company’s Web site address is www.bv.com.

About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world’s leading heavy machinery manufacturers, with consolidated sales of 2,373 billion yen in fiscal 2003 (year ended March 31, 2004). MHI’s diverse lineup of products and services encompasses shipbuilding, steel structures, power plants, chemical plants, steel plants, environmental equipment, industrial and general machinery, aircraft, space rocketry and air conditioning systems. For more information, please visit the MHI Web site (http://www.mhi.co.jp).

About Vinci Construction Grands Projets
Vinci Construction Grands Projets part of Vinci (consolidated sales of €18.1 bn in 2003) is a worldwide key player in civil engineering and construction activity. The company has also been operating in the LNG storage tank construction sector for over 20 years, with successful realization in France (Fos-sur-Mer), Qatar and Nigeria. The company is currently completing the construction of two tanks at Idku in Egypt and has recently signed two contracts to build another tank in Qatar in November 2004 and two tanks in Italy in December 2004. The company’s Web site address is www.vinci.com.

About Techint SA de CV
Part of Techint Group of Companies (consolidated revenues of 8.3 billion USD in fiscal year 2003 and 26,800 permanent employees) Techint SA de CV is one of the leading engineering and construction companies in Mexico. During 51 years of activity, Techint Mexico has acquired a large amount of experience in turnkey projects in the field of energy, oil & gas, petrochemical and steel plants. For more information, please visit the Techint Mexico Web site: www.techint.com.mx.

For more information, please contact:
Linda Heil
Communications Specialist
(913) 458-4629
Heilla@bv.com

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