Economics
Australia antitrust regulator raises flags on BP Woolworths petrol buyout
(Reuters) — Australia's antitrust regulator said on Thursday it was concerned BP Plc's plan to buy the petrol stations of grocery giant Woolworths Ltd would hurt competition, a sign it may block the $1.4 B deal.
Vietnam refinery operator plans $84 MM IPO, eyes 49% strategic sale
HANOI (Reuters) — Vietnam's sole refinery operator Binh Son Refining (BSR) plans to sell 4% of its shares in an initial public offering in November and to sell another 49% of its shares to strategic investors next year, its chairman said on Thursday.
Brazil likely to create ethanol import quota, tax imports above it
SAO PAULO (Reuters) — The Brazilian government is likely to adopt a quota system for ethanol imports, allowing 600 MM liters into the country per year free of tax and imposing a 20% tariff on volumes in excess of that quota, cane industry group Unica said on Monday.
Brazil court issues injunction suspending fuel tax hike
SAO PAULO (Reuters) — A Brazilian federal court in Rio de Janeiro state issued an injunction late on Thursday suspending a tax hike on fuels, saying the government decision is unconstitutional.
US oil refiner HollyFrontier's profit tops estimates
(Reuters) — US oil refiner HollyFrontier Corp on Wednesday reported a quarterly profit that handily beat analysts' estimates, helped by higher production and refinery margins.
Rethinking the risk mitigation process and revitalizing operational safety
For the past 2 yr, oil prices have been in free-fall. At the time of writing, the WTI price is around $50/bbl, up slightly since OPEC’s May 2017 announcement to extend its September 2016 production cut of 2.2%.
Plug the metering skills gap to ensure measurement accuracy and safety
In all sectors of industry, the measurement of flow is of vital importance. However, in an industry that is cutting costs, what impact will a growing skills gap have on meter management and accuracy of measurement?
Boxscore Construction Analysis: The state of the global downstream construction sector
In May, Lee Nichols, Editor and Associate Publisher of <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> and <i>Gas Processing</i>, presented a detailed, year-to-date trend analysis and review on new and active downstream construction projects around the world.
Global Project Data
<i>Hydrocarbon Processing’s</i> Construction Boxscore Database is tracking nearly 350 downstream projects with capital expenditures (CAPEX) of $1 B or greater.
Industry Metrics
High refinery runs contributed to high inventories, pressuring US product markets despite healthy summer driving season demand.
- Avina Clean Hydrogen completes FEED for 800,000-tpy clean ammonia facility (U.S.) 1/13
- INEOS closes last remaining synthetic ethanol plant in the UK 1/13
- Vioneo to use Honeywell UOP's methanol-to-olefins technology for Antwerp plant 1/13
- Solvay and Hankook sign Memorandum of Understanding for circular silica 1/13
- India halts trade with U.S.-sanctioned Russian companies and tankers 1/13
- U.S. oil refiners brace for a tough year as investor sentiment turns negative 1/13