KBR has received a reimbursable engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract from Methanex for a proposed world-scale methanol plant in Geismar, Louisiana, USA.

The US contractor will provide front end engineering design (FEED) services for a 5,000 t/d methanol plant to be built adjacent to Methanex’s existing facilities on the site. The FEED work, which will be performed at KBR’s center in Houston, is expected to be completed over the next 12 months with a final investment decision anticipated by mid-2019.

Once a final decision has been taken to proceed with the project, KBR said it will then have the opportunity to provide detailed EPCM services.

The plant will be Methanex’s third at Geismar. The company previously relocated two methanol plants there from its site near Punta Arenas in Chile. The first facility started production in 2015, while the second began operations in January 2016.

KBR is also working on the FEED phase of Arkema’s thiochemicals project in Beaumont, Texas, USA. It anticipates completing the work in the third quarter of 2018 and expects a final investment decision in the fourth quarter, when it will be able to provide detailed EPC services.

Arkema is doubling capacity to supply its partner Novus with sulfur derivates for a new methionine hydroxyl analogue plant. The plants are due on stream by the summer of 2021.