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KBR teams up with Indian firm

to target downstream contracts

REGIONAL TEXAS-BASED KBR, one of the world’s lead- streams into high-value propylene, ethylene
ing engineering, procurement and construction and aromatics.
(EPC) contractors, has teamed up with India’s “This MoU brings together KBR’s centu-
L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering (LTHE) to ry-long technology expertise and LTHE’s strong
bid exclusively for refining and petrochemical capability as a major EPC player and modular
projects. solution provider,” KBR’s president for technol-
The pair have signed a memorandum of ogy solutions, Doug Kelly, said in a statement.
understanding (MoU) on this co-operation, “KBR’s innovative and reliable process technol-
KBR said on June 19, noting that they would ogies have been helping refineries and petro-
specifically target projects in India, Southeast chemical plants globally to optimise production
Asia, the Middle East and Africa. and reduce operating costs.”
Under the deal’s terms, KBR will license LTHE is a subsidiary of Indian engineer-
proprietary technology and engineering ser- ing and construction conglomerate Larsen &
vices, while LTHE will serve as the EPC services Toubro.
provider. KBR will also provide its solid acid KBR’s key recent contracts in Africa and the
alkylation (K-SAATTM), solvent de-asphalt- Middle East include an order for project man-
ing (Rose) and catalytic olefins (K-COTTM) agement consultancy services at the Ghasha
technology. gas development in the UAE, and a deal to plan
K-SAATTM offers a high alkylate yield and upgrades at Nigerian petrochemicals plants. The
high feed flexibility, while Rose has more than latter contract will see KBR partner with Nige-
a 90% market share among solvent de-asphalt- ria’s National Engineering and Technical Co.
ing technologies, KBR said. K-COTTM con- (NETCO) to provide front-end engineering
verts low-value olefinic, paraffinic or mixed design (FEED) work at four greenfield plants. ™

NNPC to build 200,000 bpd condensate

plant to complement Dangote refinery

NIGERIA NIGERIAN National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) to explain; we started this many years ago. For
plans to build a new 200,000 barrel per day (bpd) 20 years, all attempts to get the refineries fixed
condensate refinery, to maximise value from failed for many reasons.”
Nigeria’s reserves and help the country curb NNPC’s plan now is to attract partners to
its fuel imports, the group’s managing director finance the repair and upgrade of the refineries.
Mele Kyari said on June 12.
The plant’s output will complement pro-
duction at the 650,000 bpd Dangote refinery,
due to start up next year, Kyari said in a virtual
conference.
Even though it is Africa’s biggest oil producer,
Nigeria is heavily reliant on fuel imports because
its main refineries operated by NNPC have
fallen into disrepair. Most domestic fuel output
derives from illegal refineries in the Niger Delta
region that process oil siphoned from pipelines.
“I know it is a difficult thing to explain why
an oil-producing country would become a
net importer of petroleum products,” Kyare
said. “The reason is very simple: we couldn’t
fix our refineries and that is also very difficult NNPC chief Mele Kyari (Photo: File)

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