Fluor Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.fluor.com) has announced that it was awarded an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract by BASF Petronas Chemicals for an integrated aroma ingredients facility in Kuantan, Malaysia. Fluor booked the undisclosed contract value into backlog in the first quarter of 2014.
Fluor completed the front-end engineering and design (FEED) for the facility in September 2013 and was awarded the EPCM phase once the project was sanctioned by the owner. In addition, Fluor began FEED services for the downstream menthol unit that is planned for the Kuantan facility.
“We are pleased to partner with our clients to continue our legacy of delivering complex chemical projects in Asia,” said Ken Choudhary, president of Fluor Energy & Chemicals for the Asia region. “This new facility will enable BASF Petronas Chemicals to meet the fragrance and flavor industry’s growing needs.”
Among other chemicals, the new facility will produce citral, which is identical to a main component found in lemongrass and other essential oils. Besides being used in fragrances and flavors for its fresh-citrus note, citral is also a precursor for other aroma ingredients as well as for vitamins A and E.
BASF Petronas Chemicals is a joint venture, founded in 1997, between BASF and Petronas Chemical Group. In April 2014, BASF Petronas Chemicals broke ground on the integrated aroma ingredients project in the Gebeng Industrial Park in Malaysia.