Barrancabermeja Refinery Upgrade Project

Summary Information

• Ownership: Ecopetrol
• Website: http://www.ecopetrol.com.co/
• Wiki Page: Barrancabaermeja-Santander Refinery
• Location: Barrancabermeja, Colombia
• Capacity:
  • Before: 12.5 million tons/annum & 250,000 bbl/day
  • After: 15.0 million tons/annum & 300,000 bbl/day
• Nelson Complexity:
• Project Stage: Planning
• Expected Completion: 2023
• Budget: US$1.023 billion (Original)

The Project

• Project Type: Major Upgrade and Expansion
• Project Summary: The project will increase refining capacity from 250,000 barrels per stream day (BPSD) to 300,000 BPSD, add heavy crude processing capability, and provide a processing configuration to meet the projected 2013 Colombian clean fuels product specifications. The scope includes the following new units: a crude unit, delayed coker, hydrocracker unit, coker naphtha hydrotreating unit, hydrogen unit, sour water strippers, amine regeneration unit, and sulfur recovery unit, plus associated utilities and offsite units. The project will also include revamps to the diesel hydrotreater, gasoline hydrotreater and dismantling of two existing atmospheric and vacuum distillation units. In addition, the contract includes the procurement of long-lead items.
• Main Contractors:
  • Foster Wheeler -
    • Front-end engineering design (FEED) and project management consultancy (PMC) contract
    • Additional project management consultancy (PMC) and front end engineering design (FEED), detailed engineering for the crude unit revamps, assisting Ecopetrol in the selection process for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts, and control and supervision of the EPC and construction contractors.
• Licences
  • Axens: Hydrocracker and Naphtha hydrotreater

Refining Units

• Crude Unit
• Hydrocracker - 80,000 bpd
• Coker Naphtha Hydrotreater - 14,000 bpd
• Delayed Coker
• hydrogen unit,
• sour water strippers,
• amine regeneration unit,
• sulfur recovery unit

Terminal Capacity

• Crude Oil:
• Refined Products:

Crude Supply

• The PRMB will add heavy crude processing capability to take advantage of the available domestic heavy sour crudes

Products Produced

• The project will provide a processing configuration to meet the Colombian clean fuels product specifications.
• This upgrade to the refinery will eliminate fuel oil production

History

• 2008 - Foster Wheeler Wins awarded a front-end engineering design (FEED) and project management consultancy (PMC) contract
• 2011 - Eximbank awarded $1 Billion worth of loans to the project
• 2011 - The Board of Directors of Ecopetrol made the final investment decision
• 2012 - Axens technology chosen for Hydrocracking and Coker Naphtha Hydrotreating
• 2016 - Project put on ice

Other Information

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Links

1. Foster Wheeler Wins Major Refinery Upgrade Contract in Colombia
2. Ex-Im Bank Approves Nearly $1 Billion in Financing To Back U.S. Exports to Colombia's Ecopetrol
3. Foster Wheeler Gears up for Second Phase of the Barrancabermeja Refinery Modernization Project
4. Ecopetrol Selects Axens’ Hydrocracking and Coker Naphtha Hydrotreating Technologies