French engineering group Technip and Japan's UNICO have won a project management consultancy (PMC) contract for the upgrade of a refinery in Basra, Iraq, to increase its production capacity.
Awarded by the Ministry of Oil's South Refineries Company (SRC), this contract covers the engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, start-up and warranty management phase of the upgrade project.
The project has been funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), an organization that coordinates official development assistance for the Japanese government.
The aim of the upgrade is to increase the refinery's gasoline production capacity through the installation of a new fluid catalytic cracking unit and associated units, including visbreaker, hydrotreating and hydrogen plant. It is part of the Iraqi government's long-term plan to meet the growing demand for hydrocarbon products.
Technip said that this award follows on from an earlier PMC contract won in June 2013 for the upgrade of a refinery in Karbala.
Regional president Nicoletta Giadrossi commented: "We are delighted to help SRC and the Iraqi Ministry of Oil achieve their goals and business objectives, while meeting safety, cost, schedule and quality targets."
Riccardo Moizo, senior vice president for Technip PMC, added: "We are honoured to have been awarded this important project by SRC. This new award continues to reinforce Technip's positioning on PMC activities. We are looking forward to assisting SRC in the development of this complex project."
