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Americas

Bill introduced in US Senate that would repeal tax breaks for major oil firms

US Senators introduced a bill on Tuesday that would repeal tax breaks for the five biggest oil companies, including Shell, ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron and ConocoPhillips.

API praises US House bill to restart US offshore leasing, calls for more domestic production

American Petroleum Institute executive vice president Marty Durbin said he supports the House Natural Resources Committee’s efforts to focus on the need to produce more of America’s oil and natural gas resources, which would create more jobs for workers and more revenue for government, the API says.

BP/Davy select EPC firms CB&I, Jacobs and Shaw for Fischer Tropsch deployment

BP and Davy Process Technology announced collaborations with three EPC contractors to promote the commercialization of the BP/Davy Fischer Tropsch process.

Nuevo Midstream to restart Texas natural gas processing plant

Nuevo Midstream said on Monday that with the addition of a recent 6,500-acre dedication in the Avalon Shale trend, the company has sufficient acreage, volume and well commitments to recommission its refrigerated JT processing plant and fractionator near Orla, Texas.

Enterprise to expand propylene fractionation capacity in Mont Belvieu, Texas

Enterprise Products Partners plans to expand its polymer-grade propylene (PGP) fractionation facility at the partnership’s complex in Mont Belvieu, Texas, which will add approximately 7,500 bpd of incremental PGP production.

LINN Energy inks $220mn deal for oil, natural gas assets in Texas, Oklahoma

LINN Energy announced on Monday that it signed an agreement with Panther Energy and Red Willow Mid-Continent to acquire 40% of their oil and natural gas properties located in Ochiltree and Lipscomb Counties, Texas and Ellis County, Oklahoma for $220mn, subject to closing conditions.

Engineering group Howden acquires Dutch firm Thomassen Compression Systems

Global engineering group Howden has acquired Thomassen Compression Systems BV, complementing Howden’s existing range of compressors and opening up a wider market in the oil and petrochemical industries, the company said.

Global PVC growth to continue, but new China capacity will limit op rates - report

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) demand growth is forecast to continue in 2011, but the start-up of additional capacity in China will lead to global operating rates remaining low, according to a new report from US-based consultancy ChemSystems.

Ontario government chooses Rentech renewable jet fuel project for biomass supply

Rentech said its proposed renewable energy center (Olympiad project) in White River, Ontario, has been selected by the Canadian province for a proposed supply of up to 1.1mn cubic metres/year (1.3mn US tons/year) of Crown timber.

Consultancy KBC predicts global refining margins under pressure through 2015

Energy consultancy KBC Advanced Technologies foresees global refining margins continuing under pressure as recovering global demand is met by a wave of new refining capacity construction, keeping global refining utilisation rates at around 85% of nameplate capacity at least through 2015.