As part of the contract, Foster Wheeler will upgrade the refinery by adding residue hydrodesulfurization unit, residue fluid catalytic cracker and multiple downstream upgrading units to enable the refinery to produce high value products such as polymer-grade propylene.

Foster Wheeler will also prepare the tender for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) phase, procure long-lead items, evaluate the EPC bids, and prepare a cost estimate to support S-OIL’s final investment decision, in addition to executing the FEED.

Foster Wheeler global engineering and construction group CEO Roberto Penno said the award illustrates firm’s strategy to deploy global network of operations with execution centers working together to support clients through the entire lifecycle of planned investments.

"Foster Wheeler’s Business Solutions Group in Reading, UK, performed the pre-FEED, and our execution centers in the UK and Thailand will now work together on the FEED to support S-OIL in the development of this major upgrade project at S-OIL’s world-scale refinery," Penno added.