TechnipFMC & Kiewit selected as EPC contractors for Energia Costa Azul LNG export project

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sempra LNG & Midstream, a unit of Sempra Energy has announced that a TechnipFMC and Kiewit partnership has been selected as the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPC) contractor for the Energia Costa Azul (ECA) liquefaction project under development in Baja California, Mexico, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The TechnipFMC-Kiewit partnership will perform the engineering, planning and related activities necessary to prepare, negotiate and finalize a lump-sum EPC contract for the project, leveraging the two companies' extensive experience on liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects worldwide.

"The ECA liquefaction project is one of three North American LNG export projects we are developing - two on the Gulf Coast and one in the Pacific Basin - to help meet global demand for LNG," said Joseph A. Householder, president and chief operating officer of Sempra Energy. "This project is an exciting part of our LNG growth strategy and geographically positioned to serve Asian natural gas markets."

Permitted to be built adjacent to the existing ECA regasification facility, the liquefaction project is being developed by Sempra Energy to provide customers with direct access to west coast LNG supplies.

"Having two highly qualified construction companies, TechnipFMC and Kiewit, with international liquefaction experience will contribute to the project's success," said Octavio M.C. Simoes, president of Sempra LNG & Midstream. "ECA liquefaction will help us achieve our LNG development objectives of having a world-class LNG export terminal on the west coast of North America."

Development of the ECA liquefaction project is contingent upon: obtaining customer commitments; completing the required commercial agreements (including a definitive EPC contract); securing all necessary permits and approvals; obtaining financing and incentives; reaching a final investment decision; and other factors associated with the investment and the size, phasing and schedule of the development.

In addition to the ECA liquefaction development, Sempra LNG & Midstream is developing a three-train, 14-million-tonnes-per-annum (Mtpa) liquefaction facility at Cameron LNG in Hackberry, La., that is currently in construction. Last week, Sempra LNG & Midstream announced that Bechtel was selected as the EPC contractor for a third project, Port Arthur LNG, a two-train 11-Mtpa liquefaction facility in Port Arthur, Texas. Completion of these projects is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties.

As MRC wrote before, in June 2016, Technip, a world leader in project management, engineering and construction for the energy industry announced the acquisition of Hummingbird ethanol to ethylene technology from BP Chemicals.

Technip is a world leader in project management, engineering and construction for the energy industry.
Present in 45 countries, Technip has state-of-the-art industrial assets on all continents and operates a fleet of specialized vessels for pipeline installation and subsea construction.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- S&B announced that it was selected by Phillips 66 to perform engineering, procurement, and construction for two NGL fractionation plants at the client’s Sweeny Hub in Old Ocean, Texas, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The plants will have a combined capacity of 300,000 barrels per day (BPD) and will be based on S&B’s proven fractionation plant design.

“This contract represents the twelfth fractionation plant awarded to S&B in the last five years,” said James Brookshire, CEO of S&B. "With over 1.3 million BPD of fractionation capacity successfully designed and constructed across the country, and another 900,000 BPD of capacity currently in progress, S & B continues to be the go-to contractor for NGL fractionation projects in the USA."

The work will be executed by a proven project team using S&B’s industry-leading project management system (iPIMS) and innovative advanced work packaging process (IPPTM). This execution approach will ensure the project delivery is consistent with S & B’s uncompromising commitment to safety and quality.

As MRC reported earlier, US-based Phillips 66 remained open to developing another ethane cracker for its Chevron Phillips Chemical (CP Chem) joint venture, the refiner's CEO said in March 2018.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Arlanxeo, a leading global manufacturer of synthetic elastomers, has launched Levapren PXL, a new ethylene-vinyl acetate rubber (EVM), as per the company's press release.

The new EVM products are characterized by a particularly high viscosity and easier processing, which is needed when manufacturing high-quality hoses, cable sheathings and floor coverings.

Arlanxeo utilizes reactive extrusion for the production of this new EVM series. In contrast to precrosslinking via radiation, this technology uses very small amounts of peroxide to precrosslink the polymer, while ensuring that no traces of the crosslinker are left in the finished product. The result is a homogeneously precrosslinked, free-flowing granulate with very good rheological properties. "Levapren PXL can be processed quickly and easily in various mixing procedures; extrudates show very good surface quality,: says Jorg Stumbaum, Technical Manager at the Arlanxeo High Performance Elastomers business unit.

Higher Tensile Strength, Less Adhesion

Reinforcing fillers, such as highly active carbon blacks, can be efficiently dispersed with Levapren PXL. A dual advantage: "This allows for the production of hoses with a tensile strength up to two megapascals higher than those with conventional EVM types," says Stumbaum. The PXL variants also show a significantly reduced tack and adhesion to metal, which is good for processing in internal mixers and on rolling mills.

With Levapren PXL, Arlanxeo now offers a precrosslinked EVM variant that is tailor-made for high-quality, oil and fuel-resistant rubber hoses. In addition to the use in the wire and cable or automotive industries, the free-flowing granulates are also suitable for rubber and plastics processors with continuous mixing processes, who were previously unable to use Levapren. This means that the EVM rubber from Arlanxeo can now be used in an even more flexible and versatile manner.

The Levapren 500 PXL, 600 PXL, 700 PXL and 800 PXL variants with vinyl acetate contents between 50 and 80 percent have been introduced to the market since early 2018.

As MRC informed before, in March 2018, Arlanxeo signed an agreement with Saudi Aramco Products Trading company, headquartered in Dhahran, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, pertaining to the marketing and sales of EPDM rubber.

Arlanxeo was established in April 2016 as a joint venture of Lanxess - a world-leading specialty chemicals company based in Cologne, Germany - and Saudi Aramco - a major global energy and chemicals enterprise headquartered in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The two partners each hold a 50-percent interest in the joint venture. The business operations of ARLANXEO are assigned to the High Performance Elastomers and Tire & Specialty Rubbers business units.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- China's Fujian Jinjiang Petrochemical is expected to start commercial production at its new 200,000 mt/year caprolactam plant in Putian, in eastern China's Fujian province, by August, after major construction work was completed earlier this week, reported Apic-online with reference to industry sources with knowledge of the matter.

Fujian Jinjiang Petrochemical was unavailable for comment.

Fujian Jinjiang Petrochemical, owned by Fujian Eversun Group, has phase two of the project at the same site currently underway. Once it gets completed in 2019, the company will add another 400,000 mt/year of caprolactam capacity, bringing its total capacity to 600,000 mt/year, sources said.

Caprolactam is primarily used in the production of nylon 6 fibres.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sinopec Yangzi Petrochemical has undertaken a planned shutdown at its No. 2 high density polyethylene (HDPE) unit in Jiangsu, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the company has commenced turnaround at the unit on July 2, 2018. Further details on duration of the shutdown could not be ascertained.

Located in Jiangsu province, China, the No.2 HDPE Unit has a production capacity of 80,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote previously, Sinpec Yangzi also runs polypropylene (PP) plant at the same site. Located in Jiangsu province, China, the plant comprising three units have a production capacity of 200,000 mt/year, 100,000 mt/year and 100,000 mt/year. The company conducted maintenance at this plant in May 2017.

Sinopec Corp. is one of the largest scale integrated energy and chemical companies with upstream, midstream and downstream operations. Its refining and ethylene capacity ranks No.2 and No.4 globally. The Company has 30,000 sales and distribution networks of oil products and chemical products, its service stations are now ranked third largest in the world.
MRC