Refining
Halliburton files protest against BP spill settlement
Halliburton is objecting to BP’s proposed $7.8 billion settlement with individual plaintiffs for its involvement in the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster. The Houston-based company also contends BP's settlement would make Halliburton responsible for paying at least part of the settlement.
Conoco refining spinoff Phillips 66 to join S&P 500
Phillips 66, the refining company splitting from ConocoPhillips, will replace Supervalu in Standard & Poor's 500-stock index at the end of the month. The index includes 500 leading large-cap US companies. Once complete, Phillips 66 plans to expand its chemical and midstream operations.
Sunoco, Carlyle mull refinery venture to keep Philadelphia site operational
If a deal is struck, Carlyle would hold the majority stake and oversee day-to-day operations at the 330,000 bpd refinery. Many had expected the site to be shut down this July.
US oil demand falls in March, gasoline use up - API
Total petroleum deliveries (a measure of demand) slipped 1.3% in March compared with March 2011, but gasoline deliveries were up 3%, according to monthly data from the API. US gasoline production of 9.3 million bpd set a record for any March and for any comparable year-to-date period.
EPA settles US biofuel violations with 30 companies
Thirty companies have agreed to pay what the EPA described as "modest" civil penalties for using fraudulent credits to meet a federal biofuel mandate. The settlement resolves violations of the Renewable Fuels Standard for companies such as ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips.
Iran accuses Saudi Arabia of breaking OPEC ceiling
Iran accused Saudi Arabia of breaching a collective OPEC agreement, reviving fears that the group could fracture again when it meets in June. Any new split within the group - which is set debate output again mid-June - could impede its ability to both coordinate production and to keep a lid on price volatility.
Statoil sells fuel, retail unit, turns focus to upstream
Statoil joins a long string of oil majors offloading their retail holdings and leaving a challenging market where profits are pressured by high crude oil prices. The deal will give Canadian buyer Alimentation Couche-Tard around 2,300 fuel stations across Scandinavia, Poland, the Baltics and Russia.
UOP, Ensyn venture wins sustainable biofuel award for conversion technology
Envergent Technologies, a joint venture of UOP and Ensyn, has been given an award in the category of sustainable biofuels for its contributions toward sustainable biopower generation facilities. Envergent’s RTP technology is currently in use in seven commercial biomass processing plants in the US and Canada.
CB&I to build storage tanks for Kinder Morgan oil terminal in Canada
CB&I has been awarded a storage tank contract, valued in excess of $55 million, by Trans Mountain Pipeline, operated by a subsidiary of a Canadian subsidiary of Kinder Morgan. The project is scheduled for completion in 2013 and will go in the company’s books as a first quarter 2012 award.
Brazilian miner Vale, oil major Petrobras to unveil joint projects next month
Brazilian mining company Vale and oil and gas company Petrobras will announce joint projects in a month's time. Vale and Petrobras, Brazil's biggest companies by market value, last Friday signed an accord to undertake joint projects in areas including fertilizer raw materials and oil and gas.
- Sinopec, Aramco start building $10-B petchem complex in China's Fujian 11/18
- Clariant EnviCat N2O-S catalyst to cut CO2eq by 690,000 tpy at Hengli’s nitric acid plant in China 11/18
- Russia's Ilsky refinery has asked for gov't help over high rates, modernization 11/18
- North Dakota (U.S.) approves Summit Carbon pipeline permit 11/18
- China's oil refinery output falls from a year ago for a seventh month 11/18
- European oil giants step back from renewables path 11/18
