Engineering and construction firm Fluor has won a contract to renovate an alcohol and plasticizers facility in Pasadena, Texas, for German chemical company BASF.
Under the terms of the engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract, Fluor will convert the facility’s general-purpose plasticizer units to a Palatinol DOTP (diethyllhexyl terephthalate) unit, BASF’s first in North America. The plasticizer is used in a wide range of products, including vinyl film, flooring, coated fabrics and wire and cable coatings.
Fluor will also convert another unit to provide raw material for the Palatinol DOTP unit.
The U.S. company previously completed front-end engineering and design for the project under its North America partnership agreement with BASF. It is executing the EPCM under the parties’ global engineering services agreement, which was announced in June 2015 and covers chemical and petrochemical plant projects around the world.
“Fluor has supported BASF with construction management services for many years in Europe and Asia, and we are excited to now deliver an integrated engineering, procurement and construction-driven solutions approach to BASF in North America,” commented Jim Brittain, president of Fluor’s Energy & Chemicals Americas business line. “We will leverage our U.S. Gulf Coast construction experience to meet this project’s schedule goals, while delivering a capital-efficient solution that strengthens BASF’s position in the plasticizers market.”
Financial details of the contract were not disclosed.
