Europe
IEA lowers forecast for global oil demand growth, warns of China slowdown
In its closely-watched monthly report on the oil market, the watchdog agency cut its oil demand growth forecasts for the coming year by a marginal 90,000 bpd, but warned that recent signs of recovery in the global oil demand could be the result of one-off factors, rather than sustained improvement.
Exxon, Rosneft mull LNG plant in Russian Far East
ExxonMobil and Rosneft began their alliance in 2011. The companies are planning to conduct a feasibility study on constructing an LNG plant on the island of Sakhalin off Russia's Pacific coast. Rosneft is lobbying to be allowed to export LNG, which currently only OAO Gazprom is permitted to do by law.
Honeywell to supply process control systems for Kirishi refinery in Russia
Experion PKS will help to optimize production processes by providing the tight integration of production subsystems as well as safety, industrial security and advanced control systems, enabling plant operators to work more effectively and make more informed decisions, according to the companies.
Essar Energy sees continued strong performance at India, UK refineries
In a mangement statement, Essar said gross refining margins at its Vadinar refinery in India rose to $9.75/bbl for the final 2012 quarter, compared with $2.82/bbl for the same time a year earlier, thanks to refinery upgrades that allow it to process larger amounts of oil as well as cheaper grades.
Swiss, Egyptian groups make top bids for Petroplus oil refinery in France
The Petit-Couronne refinery in Western France, now in receivership, was among a string of industrial facilities new French President Francois Hollande had promised to protect before being elected. The two bids deemed serious come from investors in Egypt and Switzerland, the newspaper said.
ABB to extend eni Taranto refinery export terminal
The contract is part of eni’s plan to improve the refinery infrastructure and to ensure a reliable connection with the onshore Tempa Rossa oil plant. ABB is responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction of the new installation, including project management and pre-commissioning.
Neste Oil to expand Porvoo refinery in Finland with new isomerization unit
The investment, valued at €65 million, is intended to increase the output of high-octane gasoline and improve refining flexibility at the site. The isomerization unit will have a capacity of 600,000 tpy. Construction will begin this year, and the unit is due to come on stream in spring 2015.
Dutch chemical plant strike cuts Sabic production
The decrease in production at the Sabic Europe Chemicals plant located in the Dutch city of Geleen began January 31 due to a proactive measure taken by the union workforce as a consequence of no finalized agreement regarding work conditions, Sabic said in a statement.
Refinery optimization: Closing the gap between planned and actual performance
Plant managers should remember that small, incremental changes can make huge differences to the competitiveness of a refinery in today's international marketplace.
New residue-upgrading complex achieves Euro 5 specifications
In late 2010, Grupa LOTOS SA completed construction of a major residue-upgrading project at its refinery in Gdańsk, Poland. Its 10+ Program was designed to unlock a step change in the facility’s long-term profitability. After two years of operating, this project has had a profound effect on the refinery’s economics.
- Aramco’s gas strategy builds momentum with major progress towards growth target 2/26
- Carbon Direct and C2X announce collaboration on pioneering forestry residue-to-biofuel project 2/26
- Air bp signs agreement with Airbus for aviation services and fuel supply in Europe 2/26
- Turkey Wealth Fund in talks for a potential $10-B petrochemical complex 2/26
- Asia's ethanol targets and recent developments 2/26
- Eni can now receive oil from Venezuela as payment for gas, CEO says 2/26
