SNC-Lavalin Wins Nova Ethylene Contract

Canadian engineering and construction group SNC-Lavalin, in consortium with TechnipFMC, has won a contract to supply two gas cracking furnaces to Nova Chemicals.

Kevin Dell, senior vice president, oil & gas Canada at SNC-Lavalin, said the award reinforces its reputation in Canada for delivering gas cracking furnaces, a segment of the market that is seeing growing demand. The value of the lumpsum engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract was not disclosed.

Under the agreement, SNC Lavalin will be responsible for modular fabrication, erection, construction and pre-commissioning, while TechnipFMC will have primary responsibility for detailed engineering and procurement.

Prior to this latest award, TechnipFMC provided Nova with the associated process technology under a separate licensing agreement. Both SNC-Lavalin and TechnipFMC have also supported Nova in the project’s front end engineering development (FEED) phase.

The furnaces will be installed as part of Nova’s third phase of a program to convert and expand its cracker in Corunna, Ontario, Canada, which is expected to increase the plant's ethylene capacity by more than 50%.

The project is also linked to the construction of a new and second PE facility, with a capacity of 450,000 t/y, which will use Nova’s proprietary Advanced Sclairtech process. Start-up is targeted for late 2021.

Earlier this year, Nova firmed up plans for a joint venture with Total and Borealis to produce ethylene and PE on the Texas Gulf Coast. The JV involves Total’s existing 400,000 t/y PE facility in Bayport, Texas, the development of a new 1 million t/y light feed cracker in Port Arthur, Texas, and a new 625,000 t/y Borstar technology PE plant in Bayport. Start-up is expected in 2020.