Dow, PIC let contract to Fluor for work on Kuwait olefins complex

By OGJ editors

HOUSTON, Nov. 12 -- A joint venture of Dow Chemical Co. and Petrochemical Industries Co. (PIC) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Fluor Corp. to provide utility and infrastructure front-end engineering and overall project management consultancy services for a $1 billion project to double the capacity of an olefins complex in Shuaiba, Kuwait.

The integrated petrochemical complex project will include construction of an 850,000-tonne/year cracker, a 600,000-tonne/year ethylene glycol unit, a 450,000-tonne/year ethyl benzene-styrene monomer unit, and the addition of 225,000 tonnes/year of polyethylene capacity to debottleneck the existing complex.

Construction start is scheduled for early 2005, with completion expected in 2007.