Pemex to Complete Ethylene Oxide Expansion Project at Morelos Complex

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--In August of this year Pemex's (Mexico City, Mexico) Phase I expansion plans for the company's Morelos Petrochemical Complex (Veracruz) will be complete. Mexico's state-owned oil company awarded a $44 million contract to Swecomex (Mexico City) in 2007 to manage and construct this expansion project. The completion of this project will increase the processing capacity of the Morelos petrochemical complex in Veracruz by 25%. The project entails raising the ethylene oxide production capacity from 496 million pounds per year to 617 million pounds per year. For more details, view related September 7, 2007, news article - Pemex Awards Contract to Increase Production Capacity of its Ethylene Oxide Plant.

The detailed engineering of the undertaking started in the last quarter of 2007, and the construction itself kicked off in January 2008. In September 2008, the new ethylene oxide purification tower was delivered to the site for installation. The unit expansion was initially scheduled to be complete in the first quarter of 2009. At the moment, Pemex is in the last steps of finishing the project culmination, which is scheduled to be operational by mid-August of this year. The completion of the project will aid the Mexican company in increasing the country's ethylene oxide production, as Pemex's Morelos and La Cangrejera complexes are the only ethylene oxide producers in Mexico.

The second phase of the undertaking will elevate the unit's capacity to 793 million pounds per year. Pemex has already performed the basic engineering tasks and is currently performing the viability studies in order to be able to receive full funding from the government, which is expected to take place in early 2010. Once Pemex has the necessary funds, the bidding process will begin. Phase II is scheduled to be operational in 2013.

View Plant ID - 1043072
View Project Report - 65001022

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