More delays to the project to deliver alternative feed systems for the hydrogen production unit at Kuwait’s $16bn Al Zour refinery are expected.Uncertainty over details regarding the project scope has resulted in a study to determine how the refinery will process heavy oil and the exact specifications for several different units.One source said: “There have already been a lot of delays to the tendering process and it looks likely that there will be more to come.“Contractors are going to need to see the results of the ongoing study before they can submit their bids.”The project is being tendered by state-owned Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (Kipic), which recently announced that it had extended the bid submission deadline to 14 April from the previous date of 12 March.The date for bid submissions has been extended several times since the project was first tendered last year, with an original bid deadline of 20 June 2023.The contract scope includes the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) work, as well as work covering pre-commissioning, start-up and quality testing.In September last year, Kipic had contacted the following contractors, among others, to solicit their interest in the planned project:Hyundai Engineering & Construction (South Korea)Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India)Petrofac (UK)Samsung Engineering (South Korea)SK Engineering & Contracting (South Korea)The project has an estimated budget of $150m and is expected to take 36 months to complete.The scope of the EPC work on the project includes:Construction of unit 38 (compression facilities), including piping tie-ins and connections to process and utility headers within the existing interconnecting pipe racks (unit 74)Modifications and associated tie-ins for unit 33, the existing hydrogen production unitConstruction of unit 60, a steam generation unitConstruction of two new boilers and modifications to extend the existing steam generation unit, including all associated tie-insConstruction of associated facilitiesThe third and final crude distillation unit at the Al Zour refinery was brought online in July last year. (ICE KUWAIT)

Fonte notizia: Meed