Refining and Petrochemical Complex Under Construction in Ecuador

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The construction of El Aromo Crude Oil Refinery, Ecuador's most important petrochemical and refining complex, is being developed by Petroecuador, the country´s state-owned oil company, and Venezuelan state-owned counterpart Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA).

The plant will be in El Aromo city, Manabi province. Both companies formed the company Refineria del Pacifico (Pacific Refinery) (Quito, Ecuador), which is 51% owned by Petroecuador and 49% by PDVSA, to perform the project and construction. The plant will be able to process 300,000 barrels per day of Ecuadoran crude and export derivatives.

The Pacific Refinery will demand a total investment value of $4 billion and will begin processing in the last quarter of 2013. The Korean company SK Energy (Seoul, Korea), through Peruvian subsidiary SK Energy Sucursal Peruana (Lima), and KBC Advance Technologies Incorporated (Houston, Texas) are performing the detail design of the complex. At the same time, environmental studies are being performed.

The refining area of the plant is to include crude and vacuum units, as well as a Fluid Catalytic Cracking unit; a Continuous Catalytic Reformer; a Gasoline Hydrodesulphurization unit; a naphtha Hydrotreatment unit; and jet fuel, sulphur recovery and liquefied petroleum gas facilities. The objective is to include a large Petrochemical sector that is to have an Ethylene unit as well as propylene, urea, fertilizers, lubes and fibers units.

This represents Ecuador's first foray in the petrochemical and agrichemicals industry. The new complex will help Ecuador lower the expenses on annual imports of gasoline and other products, because the country's three existing refineries--Esmeraldas (Esmeraldas), La Libertad (La Libertad) and Shushufindi (Nueva Loja)--cannot process heavy crudes. Furthermore, the complex's location, near the Pacific Ocean, will help reach different markets such as Chile, the United States and Peru.

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