FACTS & FIGURES - Tecnimont ICB

The Belo Horizonte engineering centre, with more than 50
employees, is the Brazilian headquarters of the Group, specializing
in the design and construction of infrastructure, power plants and
civil/industrial buildings. It is supported by the Group’s other
Brazilian office in São Paulo, which has 30 employees. The latter
has inherited Tecnimont’s expertise and references in the
chemicals, petrochemicals and oil & gas sectors.
The World of Chemicals & Petrochemicals:
Deep Knowledge and Client Confidence
Maire Tecnimont has designed and built a large number of chemical
and petrochemical plants, mainly for polyethylene, polypropylene,
ethylene oxide, ethylene glycol, purified terephthalic acid (PTA),
ammonia and fertilizers. The Group offers a wide range of
competences from feasibility studies to front-end engineering
design (FEED), technology selection and project implementation on
a lump-sum turnkey basis.
Maire Tecnimont’s know-how in polyolefins (polypropylene and
polyethylene) is outstanding. Not only is the Group included in the
shortlist of preferred engineering contractors for many patented
technologies, but in many cases we develop the process design
package (PDP) for the licensor itself. The PDP is the know-how
documentation delivered by the technology provider to the
contractor. Maire Tecnimont’s internal guidelines and systems for
the proper handling and management of proprietary information
mean that we can, and do, work with competing processes and still
protect confidentiality of information. Expertise in various
technologies is of the utmost importance in creating client
confidence that the Group is the right partner from technology
selection to plant start-up.
Towards the Future of Energy:
Power Technology and Renewables
Following the acquisition in 2001 of Fiat Avio Power Division, with its
special know-how in power plants and state-of-the-art gas
turbines, the Group has developed a significant track-record in
designing and building some of the most advanced power projects
in Italy and abroad. These include simple-cycle and combined-cycle
gas-fired plants, coal-fired power stations, cogeneration,
repowering, electricity and energy distribution systems for civil and
industrial use, and district heating systems.
Based on its experience in combined-cycle power plants – used for
both electric power production and cogeneration of power and heat
- Maire Tecnimont has developed specific expertise in the automatic
control of power output and start-up and shutdown procedures.
This allows a power plant to operate with a very high flexibility at
times of fluctuating demand.
Besides traditional power plants, Maire Tecnimont also offers
significant expertise in hydropower, which it developed in South
America. Our interest is also progressively focusing on the
promising renewables (or green) market, in particular on electricity
generation using concentrating solar power or biomass. In these
technologies, solar radiation is captured or solid biomass (e.g.
wood) is burnt in the first, innovative section of the plant. The heat
produced is captured by a heat-transfer fluid and used in the
second, traditional section of the plant to raise steam that drives an
electricity-generating turbine. The Group’s biomass technology is
being implemented in the Olevano Lomellina pilot plant (see
Chapter 9 on ongoing power projects).
Research and Development on New-Concept Nuclear
Power Plants
Leveraging on its strong track record, Maire Tecnimont is pursuing
a forceful strategy to develop skills and competences in nuclear
power plants, in order to reinforce and diversify its presence in
electricity generation.
The future for new-concept nuclear plants looks bright in a number
of countries, driven by increasing energy consumption, the search
for a balanced energy supply, and the need to reduce CO 2
emissions 1. In 2008 Maire Tecnimont joined an international
research team led by Westinghouse Electric Co. developing the IRIS
(International Reactor Innovative and Secure) 335 MW light-water
reactor.
Many smaller and developing countries are seriously considering the
nuclear option, but are faced with a number of local conditions: a small
electric grid, limited financial resources, no nuclear experience, and
1 According to international data, 40% of CO2 emissions currently come from electricity production.
32 33