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Abstract This paper is a multi-case study of three oil and gas projects in Brazil that investigates the tacit knowledge on how to best manage energy use during the construction phase. Twenty-two in-depth interviews form the primary evidence of the case studies. The methodology incorporates network analysis of concepts that influence energy use to formalize the case studies and collect additional knowledge. The framework comprises thirteen construction activities and twenty-one systems and factors related to design, resources and site characteristics, specific to the construction domain. This set of concepts can influence the energy consumption during the construction phase. Although these concepts are present in nearly every project, their dynamics and their inter-relations with project-specific systems change, depending on the context of the project. The proposed method, which employs network analysis, help identify their interrelationships and relative importance of these concepts. In addition to the opportunities and lessons learned that can guide future energy assessments and improve energy use in construction projects, the results show how promising network analytics is to obtain knowledge usually difficult to perceive in traditional knowledge processes. Besides, this work highlights the importance of supporting collaboration between project team members to study and decide on the plans to manage/reduce energy consumption during the construction phase in oil and gas facilities. While the energy savings are smaller than the upstream and operation phases, it has received much less attention. It is also a phase with much more subjective and contextualized knowledge – making the use of case-based analyses more suitable. Highlights • Supports collaboration in studying and planning energy use during the construction phase of O&G projects. • Three case studies are conducted supported by in-depth interviews. • Network analysis is used to represent construction activities, factors and systems. • The approach represents a meaningful way to formalize the knowledge in the cases. • Can help formalize the knowledge contained in a text case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]