Fluor awarded management consultancy contract by BPCL

Indian oil company Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has tapped Fluor Corporation on a management consultancy contract to deliver improvements at its integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex in Kerala. The project will be managed by Fluor’s New Delhi office.

Fluor is a $19 billion revenue global engineering and construction company that offers a variety of advisory services to its broad suite of clients. Aside from procurement and operations, the firm’s project management services span the entire project lifecycle, from design and construction through to maintenance.

Working with Bharat, Fluor will be responsible for a significant overhaul of the Kerala unit, which is situated in the capital city of Kochi. The complex is being revamped to produce a variety of new compounds.

Fluor will help BPCL build six additional process units, which will produce propylene glycol, propylene oxide, polyols, ethylene oxide, and ethylene glycol. The new additions will also include an ethylene recovery unit and a cumene unit. Altogether, these new compounds will help in the production of polyols, which hold value in the automobile, textile and furniture sectors.

Polyols are also of significant value to the construction sector, making them an even more valuable commodity in a vibrant infrastructure market such as India. By the end of production, the Kochi complex will reportedly produce 250 kilotonnes annually of propylene, which is used in the development of polyols.

The move comes as oil companies in India are looking to navigate fluctuating oil prices through strategic investments, either in the space of technology or in building further capacity. For BPCL, part of this strategy has been to expand into niche compounds that have considerable economic value.

“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. We are happy that Fluor, an internationally reputed engineering and consultancy organisation, has been selected as the project management consultant for the project,” said Murali Madhavan, Executive Director of BPCL’s Kochi refinery.

Mark Fields, Group President of Fluor’s Energy & Chemicals business said, “Fluor is honoured to be selected as the project management consultant for BPCL’s prestigious polyols project in Kochi. We look forward to working with BPCL to deliver a world-class facility that will help meet growing domestic demand for polyols and reduce India’s dependence on petrochemicals imports.”