The $250m renovation will modernise the 1957 facility with a main powerhouse, vehicle workshop, trade workshop, water system replacement and the removal of old infrastructure.

The team are only able to work between the warmer months of October to February, outside this range the average temperature is -21°C and can drop to -42°C, with wind speeds of up to 200km/h.

Pascal Minault, Bouygues Construction’s chief executive, said: “This project represents an extraordinary technical challenge for our teams, who will bring all their engineering expertise and innovative spirit to bear. Building for life also means contributing to scientific research in the polar regions to better understand climate change in our world.”

The station is Australia’s only Antarctic research station without a natural freshwater source, meaning those based at Davis rely on shipped water or water creation through reverse osmosis, which limits the site’s population to 88.

The station is named after Australia’s John King Davis, who was captain of the Discovery Antarctic research ship between 1929 and 1930.
Construction is due to begin in 2026 and be completed in 2032. Bouygues’ share of the contract is worth approximately $103m.