MOSCOW (MRC) -- Fluor Corporation announced that it was awarded a project management consultancy services contract by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) for its Polyols Petrochemicals Project at its existing integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex in Kochi, Kerala, India, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.
Fluor’s scope of work includes front-end engineering and design of both the inside and outside battery limits as well as detailed design, engineering, procurement and construction management services for the facility’s utilities and offsites. Fluor booked its portion of the undisclosed contract value in the fourth quarter of 2019.
"Fluor is honored to be selected as the project management consultant for BPCL’s prestigious polyols project in Kochi," said Mark Fields, group president of Fluor’s Energy & Chemicals business. "We look forward to working with BPCL to deliver a world-class facility that will help meet growing domestic demand for polyols and reduce India’s dependence on petrochemicals imports."
Six new process units will be built as part of this project and integrated into the existing refinery. New process units will include propylene oxide, propylene glycol, polyols, ethylene oxide/monoethylene glycol (MEG), ethylene recovery unit and a cumene unit.
When complete, the Kochi complex will produce propylene glycol, ethylene glycol and various grades of polyols based on 250 kilotonnes per annum of polymer grade propylene. Polyols are used for a variety of applications in the automobile, textile and furniture industries. They are also widely used in construction as insulation and sealants.
“BPCL is making major advancements at its Kochi Refinery to produce niche petrochemicals that are extensively imported into India to manufacture polyurethanes used in footwear, foam and other items," said Mr. Murali Madhavan, executive director of BPCL’s Kochi Refinery. "We are happy that Fluor, an internationally reputed engineering and consultancy organization, has been selected as the project management consultant for the project."
Fluor's New Delhi office will lead project execution with support provided by Fluor’s network of global experts.
As MRC informed previously, BPCL plans to set up a petrochemicals unit at its Bina refinery in Madhya Pradesh as part of its Rs25,000 crore expansion plan for the refinery. The petrochemical unit, which will include a 1.5 mln tpa naphtha cracker, is expected to cost Rs6,000-7,000 crore.
Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,093,260 tonnes in 2019, up by 6% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. PE shipments rose from both domestic producers and foreign suppliers. The estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 1,260,400 tonnes in January-December 2019, up by 4% year on year. Supply of almost all grades of propylene polymers increased, except for statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers).
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is an Indian state-controlled oil and gas company headquartered in Mumbai, India. Bharat Petroleum owns refineries at Mumbai, Maharashtra and Kochi, Kerala (Kochi Refineries) with a capacity of 12 and 9.5 million metric tonnes per year.
MRC