Wood will provide detailed engineering and procurement assistance services to build a new methanol-to-olefin (MTO) complex in the Bukhara region. Under the contract, Wood’s scope of work involves delivering five process units for methanol, methanol to olefins, MEG, LDPE and PP. The consulting team will also develop a tailored digital structure to integrate the control systems of the entire complex.

The plant will produce “highly sought-after” petrochemical products for a range of industries that include agriculture, pharmaceutical and textile manufacturing, Wood said.

The other contract relates to delivering full engineering services, including front-end engineering and detailed design, for a mineral processing plant. The copper-concentration complex in Almalyk will also use technical assistance from Wood during procurement, construction, commissioning and start-up.

“These projects mark a significant and strategic investment in Uzbekistan as the country accelerates its economic diversification plan, satisfying the needs of its domestic industries while also meeting the world’s surging demand for special petrochemical products and energy transition materials,” said Giuseppe Zuccaro, Wood’s president of process & chemicals.

At their peak, the MTO and mineral projects will each require the support of over 400 people from Wood’s offices, including in Chennai, India; Johannesburg, South Africa; Madrid, Spain; Milan, Italy; Santiago, Chile; Singapore; and Woking, UK, in addition to a newly established office in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Earlier this month, Wood announced it had secured a contract worth in excess of $100 million to deliver engineering, procurement and construction management services for Ineos’ Project One cracker complex in Antwerp, Belgium.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist