Megatrends are the global shifts that change our society, how we do business and our collective futures in significant ways.

Earlier this year, Fluor Corporation announced a new business structure in line with its strategy to address the megatrends that impact how Fluor does business and how the company will position itself for current and future market opportunities. 

Fluor identified several megatrends driving the future of the company’s business, including Industry 4.0, energy transition and urbanisation.

To align with the changing needs and expectations, Fluor’s new business structure comprises three business segments: Urban Solutions, Energy Solutions and Mission Solutions. 

These business segments capitalise on Fluor’s knowledge-based expertise and technical solutions across all the industries to provide clients with sustainable solutions that are more energy efficient, derived from sustainable sources and have a low carbon footprint, while remaining committed to its own and clients’ environmental, social and governance strategies.

Fluor in South Africa

Fluor has been operating in South Africa for over 60 years and has successfully completed many landmark projects in the mining, metals and energy and chemical markets in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.

The company is known for its comprehensive engineering, procurement, construction and project management (EPCM) capabilities that provide innovative project lifecycle solutions, including early stage studies, design, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning support.

Fluor’s Mining & Metals business is now included in the company’s Urban Solutions segment. Mining & Metals and Energy Solutions continue to operate from Fluor’s South African operations centres.

Energy Solutions 

The global population is going to require more energy than ever before. Fluor will deliver it in a sustainable way in line with the company’s focus on the energy transition goals of our clients.

Megatrends like the energy transition away from fossil fuels, renewable energy sources and hydrogen technology are impacting energy strategies globally. 

In February, the president of South Africa announced that the country would need between 4 000 MW and 6 000 MW of additional generation capacity over the next five years – in addition to the capacity added under the country's renewables procurement programmes. At the same time, action must be taken to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to limit climate impact. 

South Africa is facing challenges in sufficient and sustainable power generation. Demand for reliable and cost-effective renewable energy supply is growing. 

“We believe that energy transition is not only about building new assets with new technologies. Fluor is also well positioned to convert or modify refineries that are unlikely to upgrade to import, store and distribute to the end user, while improving efficiency of plants to reduce energy consumption and lower carbon footprint,” says Fluor South Africa GM Bill Langenbach.

NuScale Power

Fluor offers nuclear project services for small modular reactor (SMR) plants that provide carbon-free clean energy. NuScale Power and Fluor have a strategic partnership in which Fluor is the primary investor and has exclusive rights to project delivery. 

NuScale Power’s technology is safe, simple, small, economical, scalable nuclear power generation designed to meet today's energy demands. SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors with an electrical output of less than 300 MW per module, providing significant benefits in safety, reliability and scalability over traditional nuclear power plants. Advantages include cost and schedule certainty. 

Renewable Energy

Demand for electricity is outpacing growth of renewable energy supply, thereby challenging carbon neutrality goals. Fluor has developed a network of suppliers and technology partners to support renewable energy initiatives. 

Fluor has unmatched expertise in photovoltaic plants with electrolyser technology to produce green hydrogen, and regasification and storage of liquefied natural gas, as well as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

Latest Fluor award: Bluedrop Energy

Recently, Fluor signed a Technical Services Agreement (TSA) with the J. Sassoon Group for the development of a smart composite liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder manufacturing and bottling plant for Bluedrop Energy, a 100 percent black-owned South African Gas startup company. The plant will also include a storage and distribution facility. 

“The driver for this specific investment and associated project is to bring safe LPG to townships across the country as an alternative to electricity,” says Energy Solutions operations manager Rishad Khan.

LPG is typically cleaner than other fossil fuels, helping to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, it reduces pressure on the already constrained local energy grid and it could also improve the health impact of homes in South Africa burning wood and paraffin for heat and cooking.

The TSA agreement includes a pre-feasibility study, front-end engineering and design, procurement and construction of the new LPG facility. 

Urban Solutions 

Mining for a more sustainable future. 

Fluor has a strong presence in the region, underpinned by large surface and underground projects in both South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Many of these projects are being developed to provide the critical minerals required for energy transition, such as copper, nickel, lithium, cobalt and platinum.

Through our long involvement in the mining and metals industry, we have developed solid capabilities and experience combined with our broad-based engineering and processing knowledge in the extraction and recovery of these metals.

Energy Transition in the Mining & Metals Industry

The mining industry is moving towards a more sustainable future in mining; energy transition is not only driving demand for reliable and cost-effective renewable energy, but also for minerals and alternative battery materials. 

“Fluor’s clients are planning to meet energy transition demands in a sustainable way by electrifying their mines, powering them by using renewable energy sources, cutting CO2, using less water, reducing waste and overall just producing more efficiently,” says Fluor sales director Trevor Anderson.

“Minerals and metals will also play a significant part in wind and solar farms, electric vehicles and battery energy storage systems.” 

To assist clients, Fluor will be implementing new processing technologies in big data analytics, which will be important as energy transition and urbanisation turbocharges the need for these metals. 

Flagship Project Completed

In June, Khoemacau mines achieved first copper and silver concentrate production at its Starter Project, near Toteng, in Botswana.

Fluor provided the EPCM function for the construction and upgrading of the Boseto Processing Plant, a transport corridor and a 40 km water pipeline from the Haka water pump station to Zone 5.

The project is located in the Kalahari Copper Belt and is expected to produce an annual average of 62 000 metric tons of payable copper and 1.9 million ounces of payable silver in concentrate for more than 20 years. 

Construction began in October 2018 with more than 1 800 workers on site during peak construction and achieved first concentrate on time and within the original budget. The project recently celebrated 6-million continuous hours worked without a lost time injury.

As part of the company’s global environmental, social and governance commitment, Fluor Botswana donated a new water system ablution block for girls to Ngami Junior Secondary School. The school, located in Ngami Sub District, 30 km from the Toteng village where the Khoemacau mine is situated, has 795 students of which 587 are boarders. 

This facility will not only improve the school environment, but also the daily lives of the students allowing them to focus on their studies without being distracted and concerned about hygienic conditions. 

Fluor continues to invest in the community’s education sector as it aligns with the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion mission to empower current and future generations of learners to excel, thrive and achieve their full potential in the communities where Fluor operates.