Technip Energies Completes Shell Skyline Furnace Modernization

Technip Energies has completed the Shell Skyline modernization project at Shell Chemicals Park Moerdijk, upgrading the site’s ethane steam cracker furnace infrastructure through a large-scale retrofit program. The project modernized the facility’s 16 oldest ethane furnaces and achieved Ready for Start-Up status for the new furnace systems at the end of 2025.

The Engineering, Procurement, and module fabrication contract focused on increasing furnace efficiency while maintaining the plant’s overall cracking capacity. The modernization project forms part of broader industrial efforts to reduce emissions intensity and improve operational efficiency within petrochemical production infrastructure.

Multi-lane coil design doubles furnace capacity
The upgraded furnace systems use a multi-lane coil configuration designed to double the capacity of each furnace unit. By increasing individual furnace throughput, the project reduced the total number of operating furnaces from 16 to eight while preserving the steam cracker’s production capability.

Steam cracking furnaces are among the most energy-intensive components within petrochemical processing facilities. Improving furnace thermal efficiency can significantly reduce fuel consumption and operational emissions across large-scale chemical production sites.

According to Technip Energies, the modernization project is expected to reduce the facility’s annual carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 10 percent. Emissions reductions are increasingly becoming a priority across refining and petrochemical operations as operators seek to align production assets with energy transition and decarbonization targets.

Modular construction minimized operational disruption
A key component of the Skyline project was the use of modular construction and fabrication techniques to reduce onsite installation work within the active operating facility.

Modularization approaches are increasingly used in large industrial infrastructure projects because they allow equipment fabrication and assembly to occur offsite before transportation and installation at operational facilities. This can reduce construction timelines, minimize plant shutdown requirements, and lower workforce exposure to hazardous operating environments.

Technip Energies stated that the modular approach enabled accelerated implementation while minimizing impact on ongoing production operations. Reducing onsite work also helped mitigate Health, Safety, and Environment exposure risks associated with construction activities in active petrochemical plants.

Efficiency improvements and process safety objectives
In addition to emissions reductions, the modernization program was intended to improve overall energy performance and enhance process safety within the steam cracking operation.

Modern furnace technologies can provide improved heat distribution, optimized combustion performance, and more stable process control compared with older cracking systems. These upgrades support both operational reliability and energy efficiency within continuous chemical processing environments.

The project also aimed to reduce investment costs compared with constructing a new greenfield steam cracker facility. Brownfield modernization projects are increasingly being adopted within the petrochemical sector as operators seek to extend asset life and improve environmental performance without developing entirely new production infrastructure.

Industrial decarbonization and infrastructure modernization
Steam crackers play a central role in global petrochemical production by converting hydrocarbons such as ethane into base chemicals used in plastics and industrial manufacturing. Because of their high energy consumption, steam cracker modernization projects are increasingly linked to broader industrial decarbonization strategies.

Technip Energies stated that the Skyline project reflects growing industry demand for technologies capable of reducing the carbon intensity of industrial energy and chemical production systems while maintaining operational continuity and economic efficiency.

Edited by Natania Lyngdoh, Induportals Editor, with AI assistance.

www.ten.com