Resid reactor arrival marks key milestone on resumption of FAST Project

The multi-million dollar Fawley FAST project, one of the largest upgrades to a British refinery in decades, has passed a major milestone, with the arrival of a new Resid reactor on site.

Constructed by L&T in India, the reactor weighs around 1,100 tonnes and has spent much of the past two years safely stored in a location close to the site while the project was paused due to the impact of the Covid pandemic.

Work on FAST, which will help increase UK energy security, has now resumed, and the arrival of the new Resid reactor is a key enabler of the overall FAST project schedule, as it aligns the construction schedule with the Resid and HD unit shutdowns.

A special route was developed from the storage site at a local quarry. Before the move the project team performed several simulation runs to identify any potential issues and to ensure the actual move went without a hitch. A power outage was agreed with National Grid, with overhead electricity lines being shut down and the move needed close collaboration with multiple parties including the FAST project team, Sarens, Bilfinger, Trant, FWL, Mid Hants Council, ExxonMobil Security and National Grid. 

Working through these complexities, everyone was clear on their roles and responsibilities, which contributed to the success of the day.  John Brand, FAST Alliance Logistics Manager said:  “It was one of the best team focused operations that I have been involved in.”