Filtration Industry Analyst
but this may be extended. The contract is subject to approval by the licence owners.
CHEMICALS
MARKET PROSPECTS
COMPANIES TEAM UP TO DEVELOP BIO-CATALYSTS Dutch company DSM Pharma Chemicals (DPC) and US-based Diversa Corp have entered into a collaborative agreement to discover and develop bio-catalytic solutions for the production of single-enantiomer pharmaceutical intermediates and active ingredients for both new and existing pharmaceuticals. Under the terms of the agreement, DPC will identify the intermediates and active ingredients that will be investigated, while Diversa will develop appropriate bio-catalysts. DPC will then scale up and commercialize the process. According to DPC the use of biocatalysts often leads to less complex syntheses, lower production costs and more sustainable production processes because of the mild reaction conditions and reduced need for expensive or hazardous chemicals.
WATER & WASTEWATER LEOPOLD REBUILDS WASTEWATER TREATMENT UNIT FB Leopold Co Inc has won a contract to upgrade a wastewater treatment plant in the US capital, Washington DC. The contract was awarded by the District of Columbia Water & Sewer Authority for the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant. It
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involves installing and starting up the complete filtration system for phase 1 of the filter upgrade. Leopold, along with its contracting partners Archer Western Contractors Ltd, C&E Services Inc, Langley Traffic Services Inc and Duffield Hauling is scheduled to complete the project by mid-2007.
SEVERN TRENT CONTRACT IS EXTENDED In the USA, Severn Trent Services’ contract with the Borough of Boyertown, Pennsylvania, has been extended for an additional five years. The company will continue to provide full-service contract operations and maintenance of the water and wastewater treatments plants. It also provides water and sewer line repair and maintenance, watershed protection, capital projects management, meter reading and customer service for the borough. The contract extension is valued at approximately US$3.4 million.
FLUORAMEC JV TO HELP RESTORE IRAQI WATER SECTOR The FluorAMEC LLC joint venture has been awarded two contracts by the US Department of Defense to reconstruct Iraq’s public works and water sector infrastructure, with ceilings of US$600 million and US$500 million, respectively. Under these contracts, FluorAMEC will provide designbuild construction services for the rehabilitation of existing, and construction of new, potable water distribution and treatment systems, municipal sewer collection and treatment systems, and solid waste
management systems throughout Iraq. These awards are two of 10 major reconstruction contracts being awarded by the Department of Defense in support of the Coalition Provisional Authority Program Management Office (PMO) for services in five sectors - electrical, public works/water, transportation/communications, security/justice, and buildings/education/health.
PETROCHEMICALS CB&I AWARDED DESULPHUR CONTRACT In the USA, Chicago Bridge & Iron Co (CB&I) has been awarded a lump-sum turnkey engineering procurement construction contract by Valero Energy Corp to engineer and construct a new 60 000 barrel per day (BPD) gasoline desulfurization unit at Valero’s 185 000 BPD refinery in St Charles, Louisiana. The work, which will cost in excess of US$60 million, is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2005. The work includes the design, fabrication and installation of the complete process unit, which will reduce the sulphur content of naphtha feedstock using catalytic distillation technology.
AIR PRODUCTS BUILDS HYDROGEN PLANT Air Products Canada Ltd is to build a hydrogen production plant to serve Petro-Canada’s refinery in Edmonton. The facility, which will be adjacent to Petro-Canada’s refinery, will help the integrated oil and gas producer, and
other companies, produce cleaner transportation fuels and other petroleum products. The plant is expected to come on stream during April 2006. The Edmonton and Fort Saskatchewan area is one of three key Canadian refining centres. It is an area that will continue to grow in hydrogen demand as more oil sands crude is processed, claims Air Products. The company also says that to meet anticipated growth its plans include a second, larger facility in the same region, which is scheduled to start up during 2008.
MARINE & SHIPBUILDING STATOIL AWARDS TUG CONTRACT TO BUKSÉR OG BERGING A ten-year contract worth just under NKr300 million has been awarded by Statoil to Norwegian towing specialist Buksér og Berging. The deal covers tug and mooring services at Melkøya, near Hammerfest in northern Norway. The escort tug will be a further development of the boats which currently operate in the sailing channels for the Mongstad and Sture crude oil terminals near Bergen. Covering the hire of three tugs and two mooring boats, this deal also includes options for two five-year extensions. All the tugs are to be built by the Moen Slip yard at Kolvereid, and will become operational at Melkøya from the end of 2005. The tugs are being acquired to ensure the safe and reliable export of liquefied natural gas and other products from Melkøya. Statoil has placed the work on behalf of the partners in the Snøhvit licence.