Vinci SA won a €144-million (roughly J$27 billion) contract to build a water pipeline system along the north coast of Jamaica, extending the French construction giant’s 25-year presence on the island.
Jamaica’s National Water Commission awarded Vinci Construction Grands Projets the design-build project for 68 kilometres of cast iron pipeline as part of the Western Water Resilience Programme’s first phase, the Paris-based company said in a statement on Sunday. The work will extend over nearly 130 kilometres along existing roadways and is scheduled to last 36 months, mobilising more than 100 workers.
“This investment plan seeks to renovate and develop the drinking water network in the northwest of the country, where demographic growth is high and both the tourism and manufacturing industries are expanding,” Vinci said in the release obtained by the Financial Gleaner.
The project “falls within a wider programme implemented by the Jamaican Government to mitigate the impact of droughts in order to bolster the island’s climate resilience.”
The materials will enhance the network’s durability “with an expected useful life exceeding 50 years”, according to the statement. Work will be carried out in collaboration with Jamaica’s National Environment and Planning Agency “so as to better protect natural habitats, especially when crossing rivers”.
Vinci has operated in Jamaica since 1999, initially as a partner in the Highway 2000 toll road project with Bouygues Travaux Publics.
In the water sector, Vinci Construction Grands Projets has completed numerous projects for the National Water Commission since 2003, including upgrades to three
drinking water treatment plants, construction of supply lines, and improvements to the Stony Hill network that reduced water losses from 70 per cent to 45 per cent between 2010 and 2015.
“In 2025, its teams were involved in emergency repair work following Hurricane Melissa to restore drinking water to the country’s second-largest city, Montego Bay,” the company said. Vinci is currently working on the third-largest drinking water treatment plant on the island at Rio Cobre.
The latest contract targets northwestern Jamaica, where the tourism and manufacturing sectors are expanding. Hurricane Melissa, which struck the island as a Category 5 storm last October, disrupted water infrastructure and prompted a national disaster declaration.
Vinci, which employs 285,000 people in more than 120 countries, operates through three main divisions: concessions, energy solutions and construction. The company designs, finances, builds and operates infrastructure projects globally. Vinci made €54.3 billion in revenue over nine months, or some 5.0 per cent more than a year earlier.
The water resilience programme aims to safeguard the future of Jamaica’s water supply network and reduce water loss as the island seeks to bolster climate resilience against droughts.
