John Wood Group PLC (Wood) has been awarded a significant contract by OMV Petrom for a major project to boost the production of sustainable fuel in Southeast Europe.

Under the scope of this project, the Petrobrazi refinery in Romania will become the first major production facility for sustainable aviation fuel in the region.

Following successful delivery of the front-end engineering and design (FEED) for this important project, Wood will now deliver engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCm) to install a new bio-hydrotreater unit and relevant storage facilities at the refinery. This project will enable the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) utilising Honeywell UOP Ecofining™ process technology.

SAF results in significantly lower CO2 emissions compared to traditional fossil kerosene. The Petrobrazi refinery upgrades and its new SAF production will support the European Commission's goals to reach 6% SAF at EU airports by 2030 and 70% by 2050, ultimately helping to decarbonise the aviation industry.

Ken Gilmartin, CEO at Wood said: “This significant contract award builds on our longstanding relationship with OMV Petrom. We are proud to continue partnering with them to futureproof their infrastructure and enable the production of low carbon fuels.

“We have deep knowledge of our clients’ assets through decades of proven project delivery. This, combined with our world-class engineering and execution expertise, positions Wood to successfully complete this project and establish Petrobrazi as the first major producer of sustainable fuels in Southeast Europe.”

About Wood

Wood is a global leader in consulting and engineering across energy and the built environment, helping to unlock solutions to some of the world’s most critical challenges. We provide consulting, projects and operations solutions in more than 60 countries, employing around 40,000 people.

About OMV Petrom

OMV Petrom is the largest integrated energy producer in Southeastern Europe, with an annual Group hydrocarbon production of approximately 41 million boe in 2023. The Group has a refining capacity of 4.5 million tons annually and operates an 860 MW high-efficiency gas-fired power plant. The Group is present on the oil products retail market in Romania and neighbouring countries through approximately 780 filling stations under two brands – OMV and Petrom.