Plans advance for Vietnam’s second refinery

Plans for Vietnam’s second refinery have advanced with the issuance by Nghi Son Refinery & Petrochemical LLC (NSRP) of a letter of award for key contracts to a consortium of construction firms (OGJ Online, Mar. 28, 2008).

The 200,000-b/d refinery is to be built in the Nghi Son Economic Zone in Thanh Hoa Province, about 200 km south of Hanoi. The estimated cost is $9 billion.

In addition to the crude distillation unit, the refinery will have an 80,000-b/d residue fluid catalytic cracking unit, a 105,000-b/d resid hydrodesulfurizatioin unit, and a 700,000-tonne/year aromatics complex for production of paraxylene.

The complex will be designed to run 30.2º gravity Kuwaiti crude oil or equivalent feedstock.

The consortium receiving the engineering, procurement, and construction contract for the project comprises JGC Corp., Chiyoda Corp., Technip Group, SK Engineering & Construction, and GS Engineering & Construction.

NSRP expects the refinery to be mechanically complete at yearend 2016 and to begin commercial operation by mid-2017.

Partners in NSRP and their interests are Itemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd. and Kuwait Petroleum International, 35.1% each; state-owned PetroVietnam, 25.1%; and Mitsui Chemicals Inc., 4.7%.

Vietnam’s first refinery, PetroVietnam’s 148,000 b/d facility at Dung Quat, started up in 2009 (OGJ Online, Feb. 27, 2009).