Europeans eyeing Bolivian alternative fuel project

Bolivian state hydrocarbons company YPFB’s tender to advance development of synthetic diesel has drawn inquiries from two European groups.

The potential bidders to draft the conceptual engineering to produce the fuel from tires, plastics and used lubricants are Axens and Gemco, procurement information shows.

Among a clarification issued by YPFB, specifically to a question from Gemco regarding the participation in a future EPC call for the project if it were to win the pre-FEED contract, the state operator said in a statement that “natural or legal persons, associated or not, that advise YPFB in a contracting process may not participate in the same process.”

YPFB also extended the deadline to submit proposals for the 240-day contract to September 27.

Meanwhile, a call to carry out conceptual engineering for obtaining conventional feedstock through refining of crude for new petrochemical plants was declared void.

“The requesting unit… after receiving written inquiries from foreign companies, verifies that the project represents a degree of technical complexity, which requires a greater degree of accuracy in the planning and execution of activities of the different components of the process,” YPFB said.

It added that a “review will be carried out within the framework of seeking an optimal strategy for the correct execution of the project.”