Canada-based SNC-Lavalin, a global fully integrated professional services and project management company, has signed a contract worth $180 million with Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (Kipic) for commissioning management support services at the Al Zour Refinery in Kuwait.

The agreement also includes the preparation and delivery of training, documentation and competency development consultancy services, said a statement from the company.

Christian Brown, president - oil and gas, SNC-Lavalin, said: “We look forward to building a long term relationship with Kipic (a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation) and working in association with them to commission one of the newest and biggest refineries in the world.”

“This is a great opportunity to further demonstrate our globally renowned expertise and extensive capabilities in downstream, and to support our client in executing their strategy and delivering a successful start-up and the steady state operations of the refinery,” he said.

“With over 50 years working alongside our clients delivering more than 700 projects in the Middle East, our 15,000 strong workforce in the region has the local expertise and knowhow to deliver any project across our end-to-end value chain,” he added.

Under the agreement, SNC-Lavalin will provide commissioning technical services including master plan, start-up program development, risk assessment and management, commissioning management support, operations readiness and assurance, project phase execution activities, as well as training, competency development and assurance, documentation preparation, and the development of a knowledge management system and e-learning services, software, procedures and conducting a safe and efficient start-up and operations, said the statement.

The Al-Zour refinery will have the biggest refining capacity in the Middle East, and is designed to refine 615,000 barrels per day at maximum capacity, increasing Kuwait's national refining capacity to more than 1.5 million barrels per day.

The refinery will produce high value products, and will predominantly produce low sulphur fuel oil to replace high sulphur fuel oil that is presently used in local power generation plants.

Other refinery end products will include ultra low sulfur diesel and kerosene, petrochemical naphta, granulated sulfur and LPG, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service