Bilfinger Berger continued its successful development in 2007. The Group once again achieved profitable growth with best-ever results. On the basis of dynamic growth in business volumes, EBITA and net profit increased for the third consecutive year at higher rates than output volume and exceeded our expectations.
Civil
In the Civil business segment, we took on several demanding infrastructure projects. In view of the high level of demand worldwide, we focus on selected projects in target regions where we have a strong market position.
- We received a number of new large orders in Australia, the Group’s biggest construction market. A regional focus of our Australian civil engineering activities in 2007 was in Brisbane, where we have a major involvement in two large projects with a total order value of €1 billion.
- In the German market, the price level has improved as a result of rising demand. At the end of 2007,we obtained an order to construct a large part of a new urban railway line in Düsseldorf. This order has a volume of €300 million.
- In our European markets outside Germany, substantial investments continue to be made in the expansion of transport infrastructures.
In Sweden, we received an order for tunnel construction work for the northern ring road around Stockholm. Off the western coast of Denmark, we will install the foundations for the world’s biggest offshore windpark. And in France, we are carrying out extensive excavation and civil engineering work in connection with the extension of the TGV high-speed train network. - In Qatar in the Persian Gulf, we have taken on an extremely large order worth approximately €1 billion. In Doha, the capital city,we will build a new suburb for 20,000 inhabitants in a construction period of just 36 months. The project comprises the entire infrastructure and the turnkey construction of nearly 6,000 homes.