MOSCOW�French engineering and construction firm Technip SA has nearly finished installing a fluid catalytic cracker at the Turkmenbashi refinery in Turkmenistan. The unit has capacity to process 1.8 million tonnes/year of oil and produce 900,000 tonnes/year of gasoline.
Technip's specialists completed most of the construction and installation work. Iranian engineering company Ninisk built the gasoline production unit. Japan's JGC Corp. installed auxiliary units, a water desalinization plant, and an electricity substation.
Earlier this year, Chiyoda Corp. and Nichimen Corp. completed the first modernization project at the refinery, including installation of hydrorefining and catalytic reforming units designed to produce 750,000 tonnes/year of gasoline. The project more than doubled gasoline production capacity.
In late 2001 or early 2002, two units for production of lubricating oils and polypropylene will be brought on line. General construction work is being completed on the lubes unit, which will have capacity to produce 80,000 tonnes/year. JGC has begun work on the 90,000 tonne/year polypropylene unit.
Foreign investment in the project now exceeds $1.3 billion. The refinery will process 6 million tonnes/year of oil by 2005 and 9 million tonnes by 2010.
