Total Petroleum P.R. invests $50M in fuel terminal expansion
Total Petroleum Puerto Rico, Corp., invested $50 million in the expansion of its Guaynabo Bulk facility to double its storage capacity to the equivalent of six weeks of sales.
“This significant investment carried out over the past two years signals Total’s commitment to Puerto Rico. It allows Total, as a responsible energy major, to strengthen our roots in the Puerto Rican market,” said Momar Nguer, president of Total marketing and services.
“It also represents a clear demonstration of our commitment to delivering our products and services to our customers in every step of the way,” he said.
“Doubling the capacity of Total’s terminal enhances the company’s competitiveness as well as that of Puerto Rico’s fuel market while contributing to the island’s resiliency,” said Pierre-Emmanuel Bredin, general manager of Total Petroleum in Puerto Rico.
“We are proud that we completed the project on time, on budget and, most importantly, with no accidents,” said Bredin, adding the expansion of the Guaynabo Bulk Terminal “serves to highlight Total’s capabilities to execute an industrial project.”
The project, which was competitively bid and was won by a local contractor, Lord Construction, began in January of 2017 and was scheduled to be completed and in operation by March of 2019.
Despite the effects of Hurricane María, Total Petroleum’s teams were able to complete the project on time and achieved 500,000-man hours of no accidents, the company said.
About 130 people worked on the construction project with a peak of 200 workers at the construction site.
Another highlight of the project is an innovation in its design, a safety feature that connects both tanks and allows any overflow to move to the second tank. This feature reduced the need to build a higher containment outer shell. This innovative design turns the project into a breakthrough for future Total projects of a similar nature.
Bredin said the expansion allows Total to optimize its presence on the island by adding fuel storage capacity and reducing operating costs for the company.
