MAIRE awarded new contract in IE&CS and STS business units

MAIRE S.p.A. announces that its Integrated E&C Solutions (IE&CS) and Sustainable Technology Solutions (STS) subsidiaries have been awarded new contracts for an overall value of approximately USD260 MM by international clients mainly in Europe, Asia and South America, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

In particular, KT-Kinetics Technology has been awarded an IE&CS contract for a pre-treatment plant by PKN Orlen (PKN), a Polish multinational oil refiner and petrol retailer, with major operations in Central Europe.

The project shall have a duration of 24 months. The pre-treatment plant, to be installed inside the Plock Refinery in Central Poland, shall process vegetable oils, used cooking oils and animal fats to produce renewable diesel (also known as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, or HVO) for the domestic and International markets. NextChem, part of the Sustainable Technology Solutions business unit, will act as technology integrator for the project. The unit will be the first of this kind in Poland and will contribute to the Country’s decarbonization plans, in line with the EU directives.

Alessandro Bernini, MAIRE CEO, commented: “The PKN award is a testament of MAIRE’s expertise in renewable fuels and value creation from second generation feedstock obtained from non-food crops. Thanks to the Group’s integrated approach across its two business units, MAIRE confirms its role as project enabler and technology integrator in the energy transition”.

We remind, Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. (Milan, Italy) announced that its Sustainable Technology Solutions subsidiary NextChem has been awarded a new contract by Storengy to carry out a further advanced basic engineering study for the gasification of the waste wood and the purification system of the syngas to produce biomethane.

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Air Liquide has signed its first long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with two China Three Gorges Corp subsidiaries for the supply of renewable electricity in China, said the company.

Under the PPA, Air Liquide will purchase a total of 200-megawatt/y of renewable power to be supplied by China Three Gorges Renewables and China Three Gorges Corp Jiangsu branch, beginning in Jan 2024.

The renewable electricity will come from solar and wind farms located in the province of Jiangsu to contribute to the production of industrial and medical gases in China. It will reduce up to 120,000 tonnes/y of carbon dioxide emissions.

We remind, Air Products has signed an investment agreement with the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Uzbekneftegaz JSC (UNG) to acquire, own and operate a natural gas-to-syngas processing facility in Qashqadaryo Province, Uzbekistan for 1 billion dollars. The natural gas-to-syngas industrial complex is an integral part of state-owned energy company Uzbekneftegaz JSC’s multi-billion gas-to-liquid (GTL) facility?one of the most advanced energy plants in the world?producing 1.5 million tonnes per year of high value-add synthetic fuels for domestic use and potentially export.

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MRC) -- PKN Orlen on Wednesday announced a deal potentially worth an estimated zloty (Zl) 18bn (USD4.4bn) to supply fellow Polish state-owned firm Grupa Azoty companies with natural gas, said Reuters.

Orlen and Azoty agreed on a supply contract covering the period running from 1 October this year to the end of September 2026, with an option for a one-year extension, Orlen added.

“The price formula agreed in the new contract is based on the market values ??of gas price indices… the most objective method of pricing, widely used between companies across Europe,” it said in a press release.

The deal will continue the existing commercial arrangement under which oil, gas and petrochemicals group Orlen supplies gas to Azoty, Europe’s second largest fertilizer maker and biggest chemical producer.

More specifically, Orlen will deliver gas to six Grupa Azoty companies, namely Grupa Azoty SA, Grupa Azoty Zaklady Azotowe Pulawy (ZAP), Grupa Azoty Zaklady Chemiczne Police, Grupa Azoty Zaklady Azotowe Kedzierzyn (ZAK), Grupa Azoty Siarkopol and Grupa Azoty Zaklady Fosforowe Gdansk.

We remind, ORLEN Group's PGNiG Upstream Norway has bought interests in two fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, said the company. The deal is consistent with the Group's strategic goal of raising its own gas production volumes to improve Poland's energy independence and security. Under an agreement with Sval Energi AS, PGNiG Upstream Norway has purchased a 10% interest in licence PL211 CS, covering the Sabina and Adriana fields.

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North American chemical railcar traffic fell for a fifth straight week, according to the latest freight rail data from Association of American Railroads.

Chemical railcar loadings for the week ended 17 June fell 6.8% year on year to 43,148, with shipments in both the US (-6.5%) and Canada (-8.4%) declining.

For the first 24 weeks of 2023 ended 17 June, North American chemical rail traffic was down 3.0% year on year to 1,086,287, with the US down 4.7%, to 747,192 loadings.

In the US, chemical railcar loadings represent about 20% of chemical transportation by tonnage, with trucks, barges and pipelines carrying the rest. In Canada, chemical producers rely on rail to ship more than 70% of their products, with some exclusively using rail.

We remind, North American chemical railcar traffic rose 0.6% year on year to 46,491 loadings for the week ended 15 April, marking a first increase after six straight weekly declines. For the first 15 weeks of 2023 ended 15 April, North American chemical rail traffic was down 3.6% year on year to 681,324, with US traffic down 6.6%, to 483,907 loadings.

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Sasol, the global chemicals and energy company, and Topsoe, a global leader in carbon emission reduction technologies, have signed a landmark agreement to establish a 50/50 joint venture (subject to approval by relevant authorities), solidifying their commitment to produce sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and contribute to global efforts in combating climate change, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Global mobility connecting people, cultures and businesses across continents allows progress and freedom, but it also comes with the challenge of carbon emissions. The aviation sector alone contributes 2-3% of global carbon emissions. Sustainable aviation fuels decarbonizing air transport are called for globally by industry and regulators. The future joint venture will ‘go beyond’ the unique combination of technologies, capabilities and deep industry experience to lay the foundation to ‘go beyond’ in the production scaling of sustainable aviation fuels.

The purpose of the Sasol Topsoe JV is to develop, build, own, and operate sustainable aviation fuel plants, and market sustainable aviation fuels derived primarily from non-fossil feedstock, utilizing green hydrogen, sustainable sources of CO2 and/or biomass with a specific focus on Sasol’s Fischer Tropsch and Topsoe’s related technologies. Together, this proven partnership intends to bring future-proof solutions to the market.

Fleetwood Grobler, Sasol President and CEO, highlighted the long-term ambitions of Sasol in sustainable aviation fuel, stating, "Sasol is delighted to join forces with Topsoe, furthering our global sustainable aviation fuel aspiration. This is an important milestone in advancing our long-term strategy to become net zero by 2050. As we transform our business to focus on decarbonization while preserving and growing value, this JV is testament to the decades of collaboration between our two companies.”

Roeland Baan, CEO at Topsoe, expressed his enthusiasm for this milestone, stating, “As part of our proven partnership, this future business is an important moment of progress at a critical time. We need to keep the world open by creating more sustainable ways of flying, and our shared commitment to accelerating sustainable aviation fuels is a vital part of this. We believe no one is better placed than the company formed by Sasol and Topsoe to deliver the means to scale SAF production”.

We remind, Sasol Chemicals has opened a new research, development, and analytics (RD&A) laboratory in Brunsbuttel, Germany. According to company information, the Brunsbuttel facility focuses on advanced and sustainable solutions for Sasol’s key markets – including metalworking and lubrication as well as coatings. Planning and construction of the 7000-square-meter facility began in April 2019. It has capacity for 140 employees, with 33 offices and 82 evaluation stations. Using its advanced equipment, the facility’s skilled workforce will be able to analyse up to 200,0000 samples a year.

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