Environment & Safety Gas Processing/LNG Maintenance & Reliability Petrochemicals Process Control Process Optimization Project Management Refining

Environment & Safety

Austria minister opposed to shale gas drilling - report

Austrian Environment Minister Nikolaus Berlakovich said he is opposed to shale gas drilling for environmental reasons, the daily Der Standard reported. Berlakovich's sentiment could result in companies like Austria's OMV being denied permission to extract the country's shale gas deposits.

IEA urges fix of renewable energy subsidies

Governments offering financial incentives to renewable energy generation technologies must do more work to make this support more cost effective, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday. Problems can be avoided by quickly adapting subsidy policies as technologies evolve and their costs fall, said the agency.

EPA punts on GHG regs for refineries

The US Environmental Protection Agency was facing a mid-December deadline to propose regulations limiting greenhouse gas emissions from oil refineries. With that date drawing near, the EPA acknowledged it was in a fourth and long situation.

SABIC helps Hyundai's QarmaQ crossover go green

Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) will take part in the 10th International Plastics and Petrochemicals Trade Fair to showcase its range of polymer solutions. A highlight of the SABIC pavilion will be Hyundai's QarmaQ crossover utility vehicle.

Chevron works to contain oil sheen offshore Brazil

Chevron Corp. recently reported that its subsidiary, Chevron Brasil Upstream Frade, continues to work in partnership with Brazilian government agencies to contain, reduce and eliminate the remaining oil sheen in the vicinity of its Frade field.

Linde hydrogen plant receives Responsible Care Certification

Linde North America announced today that it has received certification of its Salt Lake City, Utah hydrogen plant under the Responsible Care program offered by the American Chemistry Council.

Total opposed to proposed EU offshore rules

Stricter offshore regulations proposed by the European Union are unnecessary and will simply add needless bureaucracy to successful safety programs in countries like the UK and Norway, Total SA's head of northern European exploration Patrice de Vivies said Thursday. He said: "Standards in the UK are the best in the world and of course Norway" too.

TransCanada: Keystone reroute agreement could speed approval process

TransCanada Corp. said it reached a tentative deal with Nebraska officials that would move the planned route of its Keystone XL pipeline project away from an environmentally sensitive region, possibly reviving a stalled approval process for the controversial oil conduit.

UOP technology used to process natural gas on FPSO vessels in Brazil

Honeywell’s UOP said Tuesday that MODEC has commissioned a UOP Separex membrane system for processing natural gas on a new floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel in Brazil. The FPSO was commissioned in July 2011.

Keystone delay causing tremors among big oil, benefiting small refiners

The US State Department's decision to delay TransCanada Corp.'s expansion of its Keystone pipeline system sparked quick concern in the North American energy industry. The move would delay completion of the project by a year and a half, according to the American Petroleum Institute (API).