A NEW pipeline contract, made and designed on Teesside, will secure work for 80 people over the next six months.

The deal has been secured by Wilton-based Enron's award- winning asset managementteam for work on the line for Huntsman ICI.

Construction on the six- month project has already begun and the line will link the gas processing plant at Seal Sands with Huntsman's North Tees site and storage cavity network.

Almost five kilometres of new piping systems will be created varying from four to eight inch lines, transferring various feedstock gases and liquids.

The project will also include the refurbishment of some existing pipes, the erection of a new marine jetty loading arm and the installation of pumps, vessels, monitoring and control systems.

The contract was secured ahead of several other major players in the pipeline construction sector, and Enron were delighted with their success.

Senior project engineer with Enron's asset management team, Sean Gleeson, said: "We are pleased to have secured this contract which is a fast track operation.

"We have completed detailed design and preparatory work and construction has begun smoothly, hitting all the target milestones to date.

"The completed project is expected to be handed to Huntsman during November."

Roger Luntz, senior project manager with Hunstman, added: "This project is important to us as it secures further supplies of locally produced high-quality feedstocks to our Wilton plant."

The success for Enron comes after it recently received three industry business excellence awards for projects carried out with Huntsman during 1999.

Its successful dealings with Huntsman included a incentivised system overhaul contract delivered 21 per cent under budget.