Técnicas Reunidas Inks Contract for Polypropylene Production Project in Canada

February 27, 2020 | Oil & Gas | Energy Facts Staff Writer | 3min

CANADA KUWAIT PETROCHEMICAL CORPORATION (CKPC) signed a contract with TÉCNICAS REUNIDAS, on reimbursable basis, for the execution of the Polypropylene Production (PP) Project, at a site located in Sturgeon County, in the Province of Alberta, Canada. CKPC is a 50/50 joint venture between Kuwait’s Petrochemical Industries Company K.S.C. (KPIC) and Pembina Pipeline Corporation (Pembina).

The Polypropylene Production Project is part of the major PDH/PP Facility which will convert propane into 550,000 tons of polypropylene per year.

Polypropylene (PP) is one of the world’s most commonly used building blocks in the manufacturing industry and it is fully recyclable, thus greatly contributing to the circular economy. PP is lightweight, heat and impact resistant, transparent and not reactive. These attributes make PP an ideal foundation for products found in daily life, including: medical devices, automobile parts, food
storage containers, bank notes, among many other uses. The project will also help to the diversification of energy intensive products manufactured in Alberta.

The process design is based on W.R. Grace’s UNIPOL Technology, one of the leading and most efficient process for polypropylene production. Some of the technical advantages of this technology are its mild operating conditions (low temperature and pressure), as well as its fewer moving parts and lower need for equipment than other competing technologies.

The scope of work includes the Engineering and Procurement Services for all ISBL units of the Polypropylene Plant, including purification, reaction, purging and pelletizing of polypropylene, and a triethylaluminium handling system, product handling, pneumatic conveying, blender silos and railcar loadout station. The project includes carbon reduction designs as per vent recovery. This Contract,
executed on a reimbursable basis, will imply for TR more than 700,000 engineering hours.

This project makes a meaningful contribution to the local, provincial and Canadian economies, reducing the external market dependence for the manufacturing industry and gives a sustainable solution for the propane produced in Alberta.

The project represents a new step in the consolidation of TR´s presence in Canada, where it has been executing projects since 2012. This is the second polymer project executed in this country, which demonstrates the strong footprint of Técnicas Reunidas in the petrochemical sector in Canada.