Kvaerner Powergas bags Norway project

Kvaerner Powergas India Pvt Ltd, the Indian arm of the Norwegian transnational giant Aker Kvaerner, has bagged an engineering design contract for the onshore gas processing facility at Ormen Lange, the largest gas field being developed on the Norwegian continental shelf.

Dr Rama Iyer, executive chairman of Kvaerner Powergas India, told Business Standard: "This is the world's second largest gas processing facility and we are doing the detailed engineering design work for the onshore gas processing facility. Aker Kvaerner, our parent company has bagged engineering, procurement, management, construction and architecture (EPMCA) contracts for the gas complex (receiving and export) and other onshore infrastructure. We are doing 25-30 per cent engineering design for onshore infrastructure."

The Rs 25 crore engineering design contract is expected to be completed by October 2005. Around 150 engineers are working on the designs for the processing plants in Mumbai.

Iyer pointed out that gas from the Ormen Lange will be carried through the world's largest sub-sea export pipelines to the United Kingdom and will cater to 20 per cent of the UK's energy demand from 2008.

Kvaerner Powergas is also in the designing Shell's two refineries in Australia, which will specifically concentrate on reducing the benzene content in gasoline. "Our gross billing in 2004 is approximately Rs 125 crore and we will continue to maintain the same growth in 2005," Iyer added.

The company's engineers are also designing a biotech plant that makes anti-ageing food supplement 'Q10' for a Japanese firm Kaneka. The $80 million biotech plant will be located in Houston, USA.

At home, Kvaerner Powergas has bagged engineering projects from Larsen & Toubro for oil/gas platform modification in Bombay High, off west coast of India. The company will redesign or modify offshore platforms of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).

"We are also into technology driven projects such as a 600 tonne per day polyester plant, a six lakh tonnes per annum PTA plant, expansion of polypropylene plant for Reliance Industries and two polyester plants for Indo-Rama Synthetics. We have also bagged 900 tonnes per day oxygen plant for Inox Air Products," he added.