2024-05-26 06:49:55
The tender to repower the Esmeraldas Refinery, pending because the authorities of former President Guillermo Lasso, has been suspended once more by the present administration of President Daniel Noboa.
The Minister of Vitality (E), Roberto Luque, following the suggestions of the Excessive Degree Technical Fee, determined to declare the tender void, as reported by the Primicias portal on Friday, Might 17, 2024.
The brand new tender might start in 90 days, as soon as Petroecuador and the Vice Ministry of Hydrocarbons evaluation and replace the paperwork, by order of Luque.
In line with Primicias, solely a consortium that features the Korean Hyundai purchased the bidding guidelines. This consortium consists of Siglocorp, the American firms KBR, Ocala and Evensen Dodge, and the Danish firm Topsoe. Till 2023, conferences had been held to include the Italian-Argentine Techint Engineering into the Esmeraldas Refinery modernization venture. Siglocorp had introduced that it was able to current its technical and financial supply, awaiting the Authorities’s resolution, in keeping with the portal.
The consortium proposed investing USD 2.3 billion to enhance Ecuador’s largest refining complicated and construct a high-conversion prepare to course of waste.
The refinery, with a processing capability of 110,000 barrels per day of oil, at the moment produces 55,000 barrels per day of fuels akin to gasoline, diesel and liquefied petroleum gasoline. The remaining 45% is waste, primarily gas oil, of decrease high quality and value.
The repowering plan seeks to extend gas manufacturing by 50,000 barrels per day, complying with Euro V requirements, and scale back waste to five%. The consortium agreed to imagine 100% of the funding, whereas the possession of the plant would stay with the State, thus avoiding privatization.
An important element of the financial proposal is the payment that the consortium would cost for the investments made. For this negotiation, the State will use worldwide requirements, as indicated in January 2023 by the then Minister of Vitality, Fernando Santos.