BPCL lets contract for Kochi refinery

Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd. (BPCL) has let a contract to Fluor Corp. to provide project management consultancy (PMC) services for a polyols petrochemicals project at its integrated 340,845-b/d refining and petrochemical complex in Kochi, Kerala, India.

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 project’s utilities and off sites, the service provider said on Jan. 28.

Six new process units will be built and integrated into the existing refinery as part of this project. New process units to be built include a propylene oxide unit, propylene glycol unit, polyols unit, ethylene oxide-monoethylene glycol unit, ethylene recovery unit, and cumene unit, according to Fluor.

Once completed, the Kochi complex will produce propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, and various grades of polyols based on a feedstock of 250,000 tonnes/year of polymer-grade propylene.

The project comes as part of BPCL’s program to help meet growing domestic demand for polyols and reduce India’s dependence on petrochemical imports.

“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 Murali Madhavan, executive director of BPCL’s Kochi refinery.

Fluor—which will lead project execution out of its New Delhi office with support from its global experts—disclosed neither a value of the PMC contract nor a timeframe for its work on the project. The service provider, however, did confirm it booked its portion of the order in fourth-quarter 2019.

BPCL is investing 111.3 billion rupees to set up the Kochi specialty polyols petrochemical plant, which will be fed by propylene produced at the refinery. The project is scheduled to be completed sometime during 2023-24, according to BPCL’s website.