Mega Projects: In petrochemical industry, the terminology of “Mega Projects” is used for major investments; these projects can be green-field or brown-field. It is hard to state one single definition of “Mega Project” as it varies from company to company. However, investments of significant Million Dollars is considered as Mega Projects. Words “Mega Projects” are used to differentiate these major investments from many other “Projects” which are significantly smaller in terms of their total cost and sometimes in overall project scope and the required duration to deliver the project.
Brown-field Projects: These are the projects executed within existing operating facility contrary to green-field projects, which are built from scratch. Brown-field projects are the modifications carried out for expansion, de-bottlenecking or to meet some statutory environmental requirements.
Typical Phases of a given Mega Project: Mega projects typically have Feasibility study, Process design, Basic Engineering, and Design & Construct phases leading to Commissioning and startup of the production facility. Number of project phases varies between five (5) and seven (7), with minor variation in terminology among industry leaders; although main concept remains unchanged.
Below are some of the typical challenges faced and their recommended solutions: