As part of PKN ORLEN’s project to expand its olefin production complex in Płock, Poland, Fluor Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.fluor.com) has been selected for technical consultancy and Project Management Contractor (PMC) services. Fluor’s services contract is expected to optimally prepare the project for successful delivery within the allocated budget and schedule.
“We have taken another major step towards the key milestone in our plans to develop the petrochemical business, which is the olefin plant extension. Petrochemicals have enormous potential we are determined to make the most of. Our capital projects to develop the petrochemical area will solidify our position on the European market while providing tangible benefits to the Polish economy, turning it from an importer into a net exporter of petrochemicals,” says Daniel Obajtek, President of the PKN ORLEN Management Board.
The services provided under the contract with Fluor will involve end-to-end project management across all functional areas – from managing its timescales, costs, contractors and risks, through ensuring work safety, technical support and supervision of technical design standards, to managing procurement and actual execution. The project will engage a fully integrated team, made up of PKN ORLEN employees and a PMC+ consultant.
“Given the scale of our venture, we have decided to deploy a consulting service within the PMC+ framework. In the case of particularly large projects, such as the olefin plant extension, this solution is a globally applied standard. Our contract with Fluor will fully integrate the project management, offering potential synergies and facilitating knowledge flows between PKN ORLEN and the contractor,” stresses Zbigniew Leszczyński, Member of the PKN ORLEN Management Board, Development.
Investments under PKN Orlen’s Petrochemicals Development Program are expected to add some 30% to PKN ORLEN’s existing capacity, while ensuring a marked improvement in Poland’s overall trade balance in petrochemicals. The program will be pursued until the end of 2023. Next year, the company will launch a Research & Development Center to generate a range of proprietary technologies. The ongoing projects to expand the phenol capacity and construct an aromatic derivatives plant are also at an advanced stage.