After an explosion in September 2018 at the Bayernoil Refinery in Vohburg, Germany, the International Projects department of EQUANS was asked to carry out E&I works to repair the production facilities for a fast restart. Only a year later, the job was done. A considerable achievement, given the damage that needed fixing.
The biggest refinery in Bayern
The Bayernoil refinery in Vohburg, Germany exists since 1967. It receives its oil from Trieste, Italy via the Transalpine Pipeline. Suppliers from Africa, Norway and Saudi-Arabia pump crude to the Bayernoil plant to transform it at their 120,000 barrel per day plant in Bayern, making it the biggest refinery in this German Bundesland (state). The refinery produces a wide range of products: from refinery gas for own consumption, to liquid gas and many types of fuels: gasoline, diesel, light and heavy heating oil, kerosene, but also bitumen and sulphur. A well-trained and committed team guarantees the environmental and safe operation of the refinery. But …
Mishaps happen but help is at hand
Even under the strictest security protocols, accidents can happen. In September 2018, an explosion led to a fire that injured 10 staff at the Vohburg refinery. Bayernoil immediately shut down the plant to secure the installation and to mitigate further risks. To repair the damage, Bayernoil called on EQUANS’ International Projects department. A team of specialised colleagues went in to complete the job in record time, much faster than could be imagined judging from the impact of the explosion.
Reactivity and flexibility
EQUANS’ International Projects department had already successfully executed electrical & instrumentation works (E&I) at the same Bayernoil site 15 years earlier. This gave EQUANS a great advantage to intervene swiftly in this emergency situation. Bayernoil applauded EQUANS reactivity and flexibility. As Bayernoil’s motto is ‘Gemeinsam erfolgreich’ (successful together), this excellent cooperation was a good example of this. EQUANS’ International Projects department was able to put approximatively 300 000 man-hours in this project between the end of 2018 and late 2019 to get the plant back up and running. The detailed engineering for this project was performed by Fluor and Xervon.
Successful and timely completion
The scope of works and services included project and construction management, field engineering, material supply and receiving, warehouse management, E&I works, testing and pre-commissioning. EQUANS coordinated several subcontractors to complete the works fast and successfully. Thanks to a solid relationship with the customer and our high flexibility when it comes to installation, EQUANS’ International Project Department contributed greatly to a fast restart of the production facility.