Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC) is a massive downstream project being developed by Malaysian national oil company Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) in Pengerang, Johor, Malaysia.

Estimated to cost $27bn, the PIPC project comprises the 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) project as well as six other associated facilities including an LNG regasification terminal, an air separation unit, a deep-water terminal, a co-generation plant, and a raw water supply system.

Scheduled to commence operation with the refinery start-up in 2019, the petroleum complex will produce 7.7 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of premium differentiated petroleum products to meet the domestic demand. It will also support the Malaysian government's future legislative requirements on the implementation of Euro 5 emission standards.

The Pengerang Integrated Complex project supports Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Program (ETP) and will help in positioning Malaysia to capitalize on the growing demand for petrochemical products in Asia.

Pengerang Integrated Complex location

The integrated petroleum complex is being developed on a 22,000ha site in the Pengerang district, approximately 400km south of Kuala Lumpur.

The PIPC site is strategically located to take advantage of nearby shipping lanes, deep-water port facilities, large acreage, and close proximity to regional demand centers.

The development will complement the existing infrastructure and attract foreign companies to invest and forge potential collaborations with global partners.

Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex details

The 300,000bpd complex consists of RAPID refinery, naphtha crackers, and petrochemical plants. The steam cracker unit at the facility will have a combined annual production capacity of more than 3Mtpa of ethylene, propylene and C4-C6 olefin products.

The Air Separation Unit (ASU) at the PIPC will separate atmospheric air into its primary components (oxygen and nitrogen) using a cryogenic fractionation distillation at a very low temperature of -196oC.

Comprising two separate ASU trains, the facility will produce 1,600 tons per day (TPD) of oxygen and 1,800TPD of nitrogen to the petroleum complex. The ASU will also produce a portion of liquid gases to be stored for back-up system.

The Pengerang Deepwater Terminal (PDT) at the project site will handle, store, and distribute crude oil, petroleum, chemical and petrochemical feedstock, and products and by-products to and from the RAPID complex. The deep-water terminal will house 1.7 million cubic meter (Mcm) of storage facility and a jetty with 11 berths.

The 1.22GW Pengerang Co-generation Plant (PCP) will power the entire petroleum complex and provide reliable and continuous supply of steam at a rate of 1,480 tonnes per hour for plants within the complex.

The raw water supply facility for the project is being developed in two phases to supply 230 million liters a day (Mld) of raw water in phase one and 260Mld in phase two.

The LNG import terminal will house a 3.5Mtpa regasification facility along with LNG unloading and reloading, storage, and handling facilities. The LNG facility will provide primary gas supply to the RAPID complex as well to the PCP for power and steam generation.

Contractors and suppliers involved

The PIPC project involves more than 40 major engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) packages, 13 licensors, and more than 200 suppliers and contractors.

The major contractors involved in the project include Petrofac, SINOPEC and Técnicas Reunidas, Fluor, Technip, Toyo Engineering Corporation, See Young and Son Construction, McConnell Dowell, Siemens, MMC Engineering Services, Dialog Equity, PRPC Utilities, and PRPC Water.

Saudi Aramco will supply 50% of the refinery's crude feedstock requirements with the option of increasing the same to 70%.