Fluor Corporation secures contract for world’s largest propylene oxide and tertiary butyl alcohol plant
Fluor Corporation has recently been selected by LyondellBasell to perform the engineering and procurement for its propylene oxide (PO) and tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA). The project located at its Channel view and Bayport complexes outside of Houston. Fluor booked the undisclosed contract value into backlog in the third quarter of 2017.
The project represents the single-largest capital investment in LyondellBasell’s history. When completed, the plant will produce 1 billion pounds per year of PO and 2.2 billion pounds per year of TBA. At the peak of construction, the project is expected to create up to 2,500 jobs and approximately 160 permanent positions when operational.
PO is a building block of many everyday products, including bedding, furniture, carpeting, coatings, building materials and adhesives. The TBA will be converted to fuel additives that help gasoline burn cleaner and reduce automobile emissions.
“This facility is a strategic part of LyondellBasell’s organic growth plans and we are pleased to continue our partnership on this project,” said Mark Fields, president of Fluor’s Energy & Chemicals business in the Americas.
“Using our Zero Base ExecutionSM approach, the LyondellBasell and Fluor team developed a fit-for-purpose solution that optimized the plant design, leveraged global procurement opportunities and implemented a cost-effective modularization approach. Our integrated solutions approach substantially reduced the facility’s capital costs and helped LyondellBasell achieve their final investment decision on this world-scale chemical facility,” he said.
LyondellBasell is one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world and has world-leading PO/TBA technology. Fluor has participated in the project since the commencement of front-end engineering and design in 2015. Project completion is expected in 2021.