KBR was awarded a contract by the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) to provide project management services for the FEED phase of a new gas processing plant, the company confirmed on Friday.

The gas processing plant will be located within the new oil-gas processing and petrochemical complex (OGPC) in Azerbaijan.

This award marks the first direct engagement between SOCAR and KBR on a large world-scale capital project, according to company officials. KBR said it will build upon its long-term project experience in Azerbaijan to perform services for project management and work with its established offices in Baku to provide support for the broader OGPC project.

The gas processing plant FEED phase of work will be supported from KBR’s global engineering centers located in London. 

“KBR is proud to support SOCAR on their flagship onshore OGPC world-scale facility,” said David Zelinski, president of KBR's downstream business. “This award confirms KBR’s presence as one of the top engineering contractors in the region, specifically Azerbaijan.” 

The gas processing plant FEED completion is expected in October 2013, with the overall complex expected to begin operating in late 2020.

The complex will consist of the gas processing plant, currently in FEED phase, with throughput capacity of 10-12 billion cubic meters/year, as well as a refinery with a capacity of 10 million tpy.

Oil products are being developed as strategic domestic assets and the petrochemical plant is being developed mostly for the export market, according to KBR officials.