The Socar Turkey subsidiary of Azerbaijan’s state oil firm has awarded the project management consultancy (PMC) contract for its planned Socar Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR) at Aliaga to Foster Wheeler. The Switzerland-based contractor – subject to a takeover bid this week from UK firm AMEC (see p14) – has already completed front-end engineering and design (FEED) for the plant.

Foster Wheeler envisages 2017 start-up for the 200,000 b/d, $4.35bn plant, which will be able to process a range of crudes including Russian Urals, Azeri Light and Iraqi Kirkuk. Socar last year awarded the plant’s $3.5bn engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning contract to a consortium of Spain’s Tecnicas Reunidas, Italy’s Saipem, South Korea’s GS Engineering and Construction and Japan’s Itochu (MEES, 24 May 2013). (CONTINUED - 273 WORDS)