Exhibit 23 INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT The Retirement Plans Committee Willbros Employees' 401(k) Investment Plan: We consent to incorporation by reference in the registration statement on Form S-8 (No. 333-21399) of Willbros Group, Inc. of our report dated June 22, 1998, relating to the statements of net assets available for plan benefits of Willbros Employees' 401(k) Investment Plan as of December 31, 1997 and 1996, and the related statements of changes in net assets available for plan benefits for the years then ended, which report appears in the December 31, 1997 annual report on Form 11-K of Willbros Employees' 401(k) Investment Plan. KPMG PEAT MARWICK Tulsa, Oklahoma June 29, 1998