SUEZ (Paris, France) has signed a contract for a large wastewater treatment project and has been awarded an associated 10-year service agreement with Irkutsk Polymer Plant of Irkutsk Oil Company, one of the largest independent oil and gas producers located in Russia building a new, modern polymer plant in the Eastern Siberia region of the country. Through its Water Technologies & Solutions business, SUEZ will supply critical water technology for the new plant and will guarantee performance and membrane replacements for the duration of the service agreement.
Selected for its experience with similar projects in Russia that face harsh weather conditions and winter temperatures consistently well below freezing, SUEZ will treat all wastewater from the new plant using 3 main technologies; membrane bioreactor (MBR), electrodialysis reversal (EDR) and thermal vapor recompression (TVR). The combination of technologies will enable the plant to reach near-zero liquid discharge and implement water reuse, thereby limiting the plant’s impact on the local environment.
“This project demonstrates the value of our broad portfolio and how the right combination of advanced technologies can help a customer reach their unique goals,” said Kevin Cassidy, executive vice president engineered systems for SUEZ – Water Technologies & Solutions. “Because of our global expertise and local experience, we have the honor to help Irkutsk Polymer Plant reuse up to 98% of their wastewater.”
For the remaining effluent stream, the treatment process will enable the Irkutsk Polymer Plant to meet strict government regulations for discharge, including the fishery body standards of the Russian Federation for discharged water, which are among the strictest on the globe.
Once commissioned, the wastewater treatment plant will treat a total maximum design flow of 400 m3/hr. The plant is expected to be commissioned in 2024.
“During the construction and further operation of the plant, advanced technologies and equipment from the world’s leading manufacturers will be involved,” said Egor Fomin, director of the Irkutsk Polymer Plant. “Thanks to our partners, including SUEZ, we intend to create in Eastern Siberia a high-tech safe production for the deep processing of hydrocarbons.”
Separately, SUEZ’s Water Technologies & Solutions was awarded a multi-million dollar contract from MODEC Offshore Production Systems for the supply of seawater sulfate removal technology. MODEC is constructing a new floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel on behalf of Equinor Norway, the operator of the Bacalhau oil field in Brazil, and will use SUEZ ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes to reduce seawater sulfate levels to required levels.
The contract includes equipment supply, engineering, project management, procurement and construction supervision. Production capacity of the FPSO is 220,000 barrel/day of oil and 15,000,000 m3/day of gas.
“It is a great vote of confidence to have MODEC select SUEZ technology for this project and we look forward to continuing to be a strong partner,” said Kevin Cassidy, executive vice president, engineered systems for SUEZ – Water Technologies & Solutions. “With our expertise and capability, we have the global reach that MODEC has come to rely on and we are proud to be considered a preferred supplier on these essential projects.”
To produce oil, treated seawater must be injected into the reservoir. Commonly referred to in the industry as an SRU, seawater sulfate removal units using ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes are an essential part of this process and critical to the protection and operation of the assets onboard the FPSO.
SUEZ is a leading manufacturer and supplier of the UF and NF membranes that the offshore oil & gas industry relies on to remove sulfates and other divalent hardness ions from injection water, to enhance oil recovery. The removal of these ions reduces the tendency of barium sulfate and strontium sulfate scale to form in the reservoir and flowlines, plus will prevent well souring by controlling sulfate reducing bacteria.
This latest win with MODEC marks the second contract with MODEC in a span of 6 months and is the fifth contract between SUEZ and MODEC in this space.