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Integrated Refining and Petrochemical Complex

To stay competitive and ahead of changing consumer trends, many refiners are challenged to transition operations from low-value fuel products to higher-value petrochemical intermediates to serve growing vertical markets. To expand petrochemical production in Saudi Arabia, two major process industry sponsors set out to construct a fully integrated, world-class refinery and petrochemical manufacturing complex based on an existing low-complexity refinery in the Middle East.

The project encompassed the purchase of the existing refinery facilities; the design, construction, completion and operation of new refinery units and petrochemicals units; and the development and operation of associated infrastructure and utilities. The new complex would be one of the largest integrated refining and petrochemicals projects built at one time, projected to produce 2.1 mtpa of olefins in addition to large volumes of gasoline and other refined products.

Beyond the vast project size, challenges of this new complex included debottlenecking; major upgrades to several of the existing process units; increase in the design capacity of the catalytic cracker and ethane cracker beyond what was commercially operating at that time; expansion into polymer and specialty chemical production; addition of dedicated power, water and steam production units; and concurrent completion testing.

Securing outside financing was important to the success of the project. Supporting the lenders in the role of independent technical consultant, Lummus Consultants evaluated the proposed design modifications, reliability of operation, scaleup risks, contracting strategy and execution plans, operation and maintenance plans, environmental and social impacts, as well as an overall risk assessment and financial implications for the lending group.

The final deliverable was released in phases, allowing lender risks to be identified and satisfactorily mitigated by the sponsors’ team as each phase proceeded. These included technology scale, early procurement of long lead items, vendor capacity assessment, sourcing of construction resources and managing peak manpower loads, and reliability and safety during pre-commissioning and commissioning.

At-a-Glance

Technology: Refining and petrochemicals
Our role: Independent technical consultant
Scope of services: Due diligence, construction monitoring, operations monitoring
Location: Saudi Arabia
Client: Confidential

Highlights

  • Construct a fully integrated, world-class refinery and petrochemical complex
  • Simultaneously expand and debottleneck older refinery site, plus integration
  • Phased due diligence and risk mitigation methodology helped optimize project outcomes

Resources

Desalination Plant in Southeast Asia Project Profile

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Charlie Bowser leads the decarbonization advisory practice and is responsible for strategy, execution and financing support for net zero projects and greenhouse gas reduction planning. Charlie has more than 25 years of experience in nuclear, renewable (wind and solar) and natural gas-fired power generation technologies. His expertise includes finance, engineering, business development, project development and operations. Previously, Charlie was president of NET Power, leading the engineering, development, construction, commissioning and operation of a first-of-a-kind, supercritical CO2 zero emission prototype, as well as various positions with Exelon Generation and the U.S. Navy. Charlie earned a Master of Business Administration in Corporate Finance from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy.
John Senner is responsible for the power industry technical advisory practice for North America and Asia. He has more than 40 years of industry experience in technical support, financing, acquisition, execution and divestiture on a wide range of projects. John’s expertise includes renewable and non-renewable power generation, waste management, emissions controls, new technology evaluations involving pyrolysis and gasification, and decarbonization involving carbon capture and hydrogen production technologies. Previously, he managed life-cycle inventory assessment projects in waste-to-energy and solid waste for the aluminium, paper and plastics industry. John has worked for Lummus Consultants and its predecessor companies for 25 years after earning a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University.
Mark White is responsible for the power industry technical advisory practice for Europe and the Middle East. He has more than 30 years of experience in design, engineering, construction, commissioning, testing, project management, operation and maintenance, business development, and consulting. Mark has managed technical assignments, studies, advisory roles and due diligence reviews and specializes in the technical, contractual and commercial issues associated with the development of independent power and water projects, primarily in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Mark earned a Master of Engineering in Fuel and Energy Engineering from the University of Leeds with energy engineering coursework at the National Institute of Applied Science, Lyons, France.
Shahid Bhatti is responsible for the process industry technical advisory practice for the Middle East. He has more than 35 years of experience in refining, petrochemicals, oil and gas development, liquefied natural gas, and oil storage terminals. Shahid provides technical expertise, critical studies and support on technology evaluation, process design, construction, startup and operations. He has worked for Lummus Consultants and its predecessor companies for almost 30 years. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the Polytechnic of the South Bank, London, and Master of Business Administration from Cranfield University, Bedfordshire.
Keith Darby leads the process industry technical advisory practice in the United States. He has 45 years of experience in design, construction and operation of oil and gas facilities, focusing on technical, environmental and social due diligence to support the international finance community. Keith is responsible for global projects encompassing the production, transportation and treatment of oil and gas into products and biofuel, as well as technical due diligence for project financing. Previously, he was a technical director for WS Atkins and led its Scottish operation. Keith has been with Lummus Consultants and its predecessor companies for 25 years and earned a Bachelor of Science with First-Class Honors from Portsmouth University in the United Kingdom, where he is a Chartered Engineer.
Dr. Amalia Pantazidis serves as president and managing director of Lummus Consultants. She has more than 30 years of international industry experience in business development, business planning and consulting, strategy, M&A, technology licensing, feasibility and marketing studies, R&D, refining and petrochemicals operations and project management. Amalia leads the decarbonization advisory practice and is responsible for strategy, execution and financing support for net zero projects and greenhouse gas reduction planning. Prior to Lummus Consultants, she worked for consulting firms Jacobs Consultancy and KBR Technology & Consulting, as well as for the oil and gas and chemicals industry majors TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil and BASF. Amalia holds a Ph.D. in Heterogeneous Catalysis with magna cum laude honors from the Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 in France and a Master of Chemical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens in Greece. She is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and holds a Certificate in Strategy and Innovation from the MIT Sloan Management School.
Lummus Consultants’ deep industry and project expertise provides valuable litigation support and expert witness testimony in legal cases involving power and oil and gas processing and transport technologies. When deep technical evaluations and engineering project analysis are required to support your case, you need an expert witness with impeccable technical credentials, unimpeachable valuation assessments and strong environmental insights. The experts at Lummus Consultants stand ready to assist your case with the strongest combination of technical, commercial and environmental project experience in the process and power industries.

The execution phase typically carries the highest level of risk for cost overruns in a project lifecycle. Lenders and owners benefit from an independent engineer to monitor the construction and initial operations, assessing quality control, costs, schedule, permitting and startup/testing of the project are properly executed; reviewing costs and schedules against corresponding budgets and contracts; offering guidance on emerging technical issues, and certifying construction completion and performance.

Lummus Consultants has performed construction and operations monitoring services for power plants, LNG facilities, process facilities and pipeline facilities all over the world. Our decades of experience in this area give us broad and deep knowledge across the spectrum of project construction methods, and from mega-projects to small single process units, enabling us to quickly identify critical risks and assess mitigation plans to ensure the best outcome for projects during construction, commissioning and commercial operation.

When project owners or developers want to assess and confirm the bankability of their project or emerging technology, they need a unique combination of broad technical know-how, on-the-ground project experience, and decades of working with lenders and investors to make the best determination. When confirming project bankability, Lummus Consultants scrutinizes every piece of the proposed project, including design, costs, execution plans, schedules and ESG development to ensure sufficient development and oversight are in place to satisfy lender requirements.

Our long legacy of trusted, independent advice and insight — particularly serving as lender’s engineers — provide extra credibility and confidence to any investment under consideration. With expansive global experience across technologies, processes and industries, you can count on our independent advice and technical assessment reports when seeking bank financing or outside funding.

Lummus Consultants provides comprehensive support and services to help owners consider alternatives and move forward with economically viable projects across the energy value streams. Feasibility studies assess economic viability of a proposed project, considering key technology, location, execution methods, environmental factors and costs implications. Lummus Consultants’ breadth and depth of experience lends efficiency and insight to the process. Our seasoned professional work closely with clients to investigate costs versus benefits, estimate return on investment and compare possible alternative solutions.
Lummus Consultants supports the acquisition and divestiture of power and process facilities around the world on both the sell and buy sides of the transaction. Drawing from our broad experience, we provide bidders with valuable insights through independent engineer’s reports, technology and condition assessments, environmental compliance reviews, operations and maintenance assessments, capital cost projections, and remaining useful life analyses. Our clients include utilities, independent power producers, project developers, private equity firms and infrastructure/income funds.

Third-party environmental, social and governance (ESG) reviews for new projects, acquisitions, divestitures and finance activities require a strong combination of regulatory acumen and technical expertise to properly assess ESG impacts, risks and liabilities. Lummus Consultants has deep environmental science, regulatory, engineering, construction and operating experience to effectively identify and prioritize ESG risks and develop plans to protect human health and the environment.

Additionally, typically following the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals or other recognized international frameworks, our team of experts is there to guide companies in developing meaningful and actionable sustainability policies for the future.

Given the high stakes and shareholder visibility of today’s large energy and infrastructure projects, an independent, outside review of project plans can give owners greater confidence in a project’s overall success, as well as help achieve critical speed to market by identifying and mitigating problems before they occur.

Lummus Consultants has a proven track record of success performing cold-eye peer reviews for clients with large and complicated projects throughout the energy sector. The purpose and scope of every independent project review are developed closely with each client and typically include an assessment of project costs, schedule, execution plans, project team, quality factors, environmental, social and safety risks, and management systems. Findings include an analysis of key risks, a list of key mitigation actions and recommended timing of mitigating actions to improve successful outcomes.

Due diligence services help companies and investors understand the technical, commercial and environmental factors involved in a potential investment, venture or project, providing an independent, fully objective and thorough assessment that helps strengthen decision making and mitigate project risks before they occur. Lummus Consultants’ due diligence advisory services are the hallmark of our firm, having provided technical advisory and consultancy in the power, oil and gas, refining and chemicals, and infrastructure space for decades. In fact, our teams have provided technical due diligence review services on more than 800 transactions representing more than $500 billion in funding on assets across the globe.

As an independent technical consultant or lender’s engineer, we use our decades of hands-on experience in the essential aspects of process, power and water plant design, construction and operation to assess areas of risk. We work with the global financial sector and investment groups, providing technical guidance to support project finance and acquisitions around the world. Our seasoned experts provide an effective combination of technical and commercial experience when assessing and confirming a project’s design, technology, expected performance, capital costs, operating and maintenance costs, schedule, operation, contractual obligations and pro forma financial projections are reasonable and aligned — to minimize our client’s risk.

As an independent environmental consultant, we assess the project’s environmental, safety and social impacts, risks and liabilities, as well as the project’s ability to comply with permits, licenses and applicable environmental guidelines such as the Equator Principles. Our experts stay up to date on the continually changing environmental legislation and trends so clients can have confidence in our insight and advice in this crucial area.

Lummus Consultants understands the risks associated with newly commercialized and evolving technologies, particularly in the growing energy transition areas where new ideas are hitting the market quickly. Through the breadth of our teams’ skills and our extensive due diligence experience, we can identify areas of risk associated with scaleup, design modification, product line evolution and first-of-a-kind technology innovations. Our unique combination of technical expertise and business evaluation skills enables us to effectively suggest appropriate technical and commercial mitigation strategies.
As energy industries and markets mobilize to optimize efficiency and maximize sustainability at every point in the value chain, a strong commitment to careful strategy and planning is more important than ever. From enterprise planning, project development and operational improvements to compliance and sustainability planning and everything in between, the experts at Lummus Consultants bring strong skills and trusted, independent advice to your project team or your investment plans.
As energy industries and markets mobilize to optimize efficiency and maximize sustainability at every point in the value chain, a strong commitment to careful strategy and planning is more important than ever. From enterprise planning, project development and operational improvements to compliance and sustainability planning and everything in between, the experts at Lummus Consultants bring strong skills and trusted, independent advice to your project team or your investment plans.

Due diligence services help companies and investors understand the technical, commercial and environmental factors involved in a potential investment, venture or project, providing an independent, fully objective and thorough assessment that helps strengthen decision making and mitigate project risks before they occur. Lummus Consultants’ due diligence advisory services are the hallmark of our firm, having provided technical advisory and consultancy in the power, oil and gas, refining and chemicals, and infrastructure space for decades. In fact, our teams have provided technical due diligence review services on more than 800 transactions representing more than $500 billion in funding on assets across the globe.

As an independent technical consultant or lender’s engineer, we use our decades of hands-on experience in the essential aspects of process, power and water plant design, construction and operation to assess areas of risk. We work with the global financial sector and investment groups, providing technical guidance to support project finance and acquisitions around the world. Our seasoned experts provide an effective combination of technical and commercial experience when assessing and confirming a project’s design, technology, expected performance, capital costs, operating and maintenance costs, schedule, operation, contractual obligations and pro forma financial projections are reasonable and aligned — to minimize our client’s risk.

​As an independent environmental consultant, we assess the project’s environmental, safety and social impacts, risks and liabilities, as well as the project’s ability to comply with permits, licenses and applicable environmental guidelines such as the Equator Principles. Our experts stay up to date on the continually changing environmental legislation and trends so clients can have confidence in our insight and advice in this crucial area.