Construction work at the US$2.7 billion Parisian Macao has been halted but casino operator Sands China Ltd says there are no changes to the original schedule. The property is slated to open by late 2015, the company confirmed in a regulatory filing.
Portuguese-language newspaper Jornal Tribuna de Macau reported on Friday that Macau’s Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau has imposed a construction embargo on the project.
The notice had been issued on June 9, following an incident that injured two construction workers at the site.
The construction has been halted because the contractor does not have the necessary permit, Tribuna de Macau reported.
The government bureau is cited saying that the contractor has permission only to do earthworks on the site. However, the contractor has already built a structure of approximately 10 floors in height.
On a conference call on Thursday, to discuss the second quarter results of Las Vegas Sands Corp, the company confirmed that the construction of the Parisian Macao has stopped “pending receipt of certain approvals from the Macau government”.
Las Vegas Sands is the parent company of Macau-based Sands China.
Michael Leven, president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands, said the operator hopes to obtain the go-ahead from the government “shortly”.
“We are positioning ourselves to ensure that we will have the ability to resume full activity quickly once the necessary approvals have been received,” Mr Leven said on the conference call.
“At this time, no plans have changed and we still envisage opening by the end of 2015,” he added.
In a written statement on Friday, Sands China said it had no comments.
