Refining
Caltex to close Sydney's last refinery by late 2014, convert to fuel terminal
The closure of Kurnell, involving the loss of 330 jobs, will bring the number of refineries operating in Australia down to five from seven at the start of this year as Royal Dutch Shell is also due to close its Clyde refinery in Sydney next month. Kurnell's nameplate capacity is 135,000 bpd.
Bakken crude reaches Louisiana refiners by barge
Kirby Corp. appears to be the first barge operator to use America's famed Mississippi River as a highway for oil from the land-locked Bakken, an oil-rich area in North Dakota. The barges take a week to travel down the Mississippi River to bring the oil to the Baton Rouge, La. area.
US safety board says lapses led to BP oil spill
The CSB said a "robust system of process safety indicators" may have revealed problems that led to the disaster, such as discordant safety controls between BP and Transocean.
TNK-BP, Sibur to partner on hydrocarbon feedstock
The Russian companies reached agreement on the indefinite continuation of their Yugragazpererabotka gas processing joint venture, with contracts under the joint venture framework extended through 2026.
Essar, Barclays reach crude oil supply deal for UK Stanlow refinery
Under the three-year deal announced Wednesday, Barclays has already started buying crude for the Stanlow refinery, the UK's second largest at 296,000 bpd. Barclays has also taken control of inventories of crude oil and refined products on the site worth $700 million, Essar said.
API to shut Falconara Marittima refinery for 2013
Italy-based API Anonima Petroli Italiana SpA, the refiner and service-station operator also known as Api, will shut its Falconara Marittima refinery from January for a year to revamp its power engine. The refinery, located on the Adriatic coast, has a capacity of 85,000 bpd.
Valero shuts Meraux refinery in Louisiana after fire
The exchanger caught fire at about 1:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, according to a report filed with the US National Response Center. All units will remain down while repairs are made to the crude unit and related utilities. Valero did not give a timetable for repairs or a possible restart.
US oil, fuel demand falls amid weak economy - API
Gasoline demand tracked the overall numbers, declining 2.5% for June versus a year ago and 1.0% for the first six months of this year against the same period in 2011, the API said. Distillates, jet fuel, and residual fuel were also down for the first six months, while distillates and residual fuel were down for June.
Enbridge to spend up to $500mn more on Canada pipeline safety features
The company's plan to build an oil pipeline from Alberta to a port in Kitimat, British Columbia, for export overseas faces opposition within the province, including from native groups and environmental organizations. Northern Gateway would ship up to 525,000 bpd and is scheduled for a 2017 startup.
PdVSA awards Venezuela refinery expansion work to Foster Wheeler, Toyo
Foster Wheeler will execute the project in consortium with Toyo Engineering Corp. from Japan and Y & V Ingeniería y Construcción from Venezuela. The consortium previously completed the front-end engineering design for the project. The value of the deal was not disclosed.
- Aramco signs MoU with Microsoft to help advance industrial AI and digital talent transformation 2/23
- Chandra Asri's chlor alkali-ethylene dichloride project reaches 50% completion 2/23
- Solvay to reduce production at Torrelavega soda ash plant due to market conditions 2/23
- Zeon Corp. holds groundbreaking for new cyclo-olefin polymers plant 2/23
- Honeywell adjusts acquisition agreement for Johnson Matthey's Catalyst Technologies business down to £1.325 billion 2/23
- Indorama Ventures and AMB Spa introduce industrial-scale breakthrough for recyclable multilayer trays 2/23
