Construction begins on PDVSA’s Puerto La Cruz refinery revamp

Construction activities have started for the long-planned expansion and modernization at Petroleos de Venezuela SA’s (PDVSA) 190,000-b/d Puerto La Cruz refinery in eastern Venezuela (OGJ Online, July 1, 2014).

Construction work related to site preparation for the Puerto La Cruz refinery’s deep conversion project officially is under way, Shanghai-based Wison Engineering Services Co. Ltd. said.

In addition to Italy’s TREVI, a series of Chinese state-owned enterprises will act as subcontractors on the project for Wison Engineering, including China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group Co. Ltd., China Railway No. 9 Group Co. Ltd., and China Railway Tenth Engineering Group Co. Ltd., the company said.

Wison Engineering secured the procurement and construction contract with PDVSA for the Puerto La Cruz upgrade in September 2013 in a contract valued at about $834 million, according to an Oct. 15, 2013, release from the service company.

Wison Engineering’s scope of work for construction related to site preparation is to be completed within 12 months, the company said.

PDVSA recently let a $4.8 billion contract for the Puerto La Cruz revamp to a Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd.-led consortium that also includes Wison Engineering.

The entire expansion and modernization project at Puerto La Cruz, which will entail the remodeling of existing installations and equipment at the refinery as well as some construction to improve the yield of higher-quality products from a heavier slate of crude oil feedstocks, will last 47 months from initial groundbreaking.