Mexico's Pemex Seeks Bids For 2 Desulfurization Plants
13 February 2009 - 8:57AM
Dow Jones News
State-run oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos has called a tender
for two desulfurization plants as part of a program to improve the
quality of Mexican gasoline, the company said Thursday.
The tender calls for one plant at the Cadereyta refinery and the
other at the Madero refinery to produce ultra-low sulfur gasoline.
Interested companies have until June 11 to present bids. Work is
expected to start on Aug. 10 and last 3 1/2 years.
When Pemex announced its clean fuels program two years ago it
said it would invest close to $3 billion on 22 new plants at its
six refineries. Pemex did not say how much it plans to spend on the
two sulfur removal plants.
Last fall, Pemex rolled out a similar tender for two
desulfurization plants, one at the Tula refinery and the other at
the Salamanca refinery. On Thursday, Pemex said it will announce a
winner for the Salamanca and Tula work in April.
The companies competing for the Tula and Salamanca work include
Samsung Engineering and ICA Fluor, a joint venture of Mexico's
Empresas ICA (ICA) and Fluor Corp. (FLR).
Pemex plans to lift domestic crude processing at its existing
six refineries to 1.8 million barrels a day by 2016, up from around
1.3 million barrels a day at present. Pemex also plans to build a
new refinery, but has not yet picked a location.
-By Peter Millard, Dow Jones Newswires; 5255-5001-5724;
peter.millard@dowjones.com