EQUATE (DowPIC) OL2K Petrochemical Complex - EPC

Client: EQUATE (DowPIC)

Location: Shuaiba, Kuwait

Map showing the location of EQUATE (DowPIC) OL2K Petrochemical Complex - EPC

Executive Summary

In June 2009, Fluor completed the multi-billion dollar Olefins II Kuwait (OL2K) complex. The OL2K program was an expansion of an existing petrochemical production facility in Shuaiba, Kuwait.

Client's Challenge

Union Carbide Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow since 2001, and Petrochemicals Industries Company of Kuwait (PIC) formed the EQUATE joint venture along with minority stakeholders Boubyan Petrochemical Company K.S.C. and Al-Qurain Petrochemical Industry Company K.S.C. in 1995 to produce petrochemicals in Kuwait. Petrochemicals production began in 1997.

Following the success of the initial project, Fluor was contracted again to develop a new ethylene and derivatives complex, known as the OL2K program.

EQUATE manages, operates and maintains the OL2K facility. Products from the facility are sold in the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

Fluor's Solution

We began work on the OL2K project in July 2004 by providing overall management consultancy and front-end engineering and design (FEED) work for utilities and infrastructure. The OL2K project was completed in June 2009 with a safety record that achieved 42 million safe hours without a lost-time incident.

In addition to the overall management consultancy and FEED work for utilities and infrastructure, we were awarded the FEED and engineering, procurement and construction management for the seawater cooling towers, polyethylene expansion, expansion of existing utilities and infrastructure and new utilities and infrastructure shared with aromatics.

During the five-year project, we introduced innovative solutions to meet many of the unique challenges including assisting our client in the development of a closed circuit seawater cooling system including onsite hyperbolic cooling towers.

This complex project was executed from our offices in Haarlem, the Netherlands; Manila, Philippines; Shuaiba, Kuwait; and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

At the peak of construction, field personnel totaled nearly 12,000 and we utilized several local contractors and suppliers to help complete the project.

Conclusion

We used a multi-office execution approach and innovative solutions to complete the complex OL2K program.

As requested by our client, we brought in local contractors and suppliers to the project, and they performed exceedingly well.

The project proved to be a model of teamwork with all members contributing to the outstanding safety achievement of 42 million safe work hours without a lost-time incident.