PDVSA lets contract for Amuay refinery

Venezuela's state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) has let a construction-related contract to Portuguese firm Cimontubo to revamp a product storage area at the 940,000-b/d Paraguana Refining Center (PRC) in Caracas.

The scope of the contract—which is worth an estimated $190 million—includes the construction of eight storage tanks, an electric substation, a drainage system, and pipes and pumps associated with tank systems on Blocks 23 and 24 at the Amuay refinery section of PRC, according to PDVSA.

The product storage reconstruction project is scheduled to begin during this year’s first quarter and is expected to be completed in 2 years, said Eddie Miquilena, PDVSA general manager for maintenance.

The project comes as part of PDVSA’s plan to increase the operational flexibility of the Amuay refinery, according to the firm.