Kentz Group, the engineering and contracting company, has won a $123 million (€118.8 million) contract, as part of a consortium to build a 2,100 megawatt coal-fired power station at Manjung, Malaysia. It will be twice the size of Moneypoint, Ireland's largest coal-fired power station, said Kentz, which is Irish registered but Malaysian controlled.

Kentz was taken out of examinership by Malaysian investors in 1994 who now have a 90 per cent shareholding. Irish executive, Mr Noel Kelly, is understood to have the other 10 per cent.

Kentz employs 5,000 people worldwide, 400 of whom are Irish. Under 100 are located in the Republic.