Americas
US gasoline stockpiles climb as refiners lift rates
Refinery crude runs rose 139,000 bpd as utilization rates rose by 1.6 percentage points. US East Coast refinery utilization rose to the highest level seasonally last week since at least 2010, the EIA said.
Colder winter could save US distillate fuel market
The good news for refiners and heating oil suppliers is that winter 2016/17 will almost certainly be colder, boosting demand in the months ahead.
Lower refining margins cut Valero’s profit in half
Refiners ramped up production in 2015, leading to higher inventories and weaker margins this year as demand softened during the mild winter.
US Gulf gasoline falls as Motiva restarts FCC unit
Traders and brokers noted that aside from planned or unplanned work, refiners are making fuels despite a sharp drop in margins from a year ago, when crude prices were higher.
Argentina’s ethanol producers prepare to boost output by up to 60%
In April, the government raised the amount of ethanol used by motorists by 2 percentage points to 12%. The move boosted the country's sugar industry, which has been battered by low prices.
Gulf Publishing finalizes management buyout, marks 100-year anniversary
The newly-independent company is retaining the Gulf Publishing name and will continue to publish its energy industry-leading magazines, including Hydrocarbon Processing.
Air Liquide upgrades, expands Houston complex
The project included upgrades to four state-of-the-art, energy efficient cogeneration units to increase production capacity and extend the life of the units by more than 20 years.
REG expands Illinois biorefinery’s logistics system
REG Danville recently purchased the tank complex at the adjacent Bunge Milling facility for $1.5 million. The tanks are being connected to REG Danville’s existing infrastructure and will increase the biorefinery’s storage capacity for feedstock by at least 950,000 gal and biodiesel by up to 12 million gal.
Editorial Comment: Maintenance spending to jump in 2016 as refiners catch up with turnarounds
The number of scheduled refinery turnarounds in North America is anticipated to rise this year after declining sharply in 2015, as refiners delayed maintenance shutdowns to capitalize on abundant quantities of low-priced feedstock.
Business Trends: Global petrochemical overview—Part 2
Part 1 of this series provided an overview on the present state of the petrochemical industry, a breakdown on construction project numbers by region, as well as major trends in Africa, the Middle East and the US. Part 2 examines the landscape in Asia-Pacific, Canada, Europe and Latin America.
- thyssenkrupp Uhde to build a low-emission polyester plant for KÖKSAN in Turkey 4/9
- Honeywell to supply digital process and automation technologies to the Dangote refinery 4/9
- Technip Energies awarded contract for Long Son Petrochemicals enhancement project in Vietnam 4/9
- Japan weighs new release of about 20 days' worth of oil from reserves 4/9
- Germany probes Klesch's planned purchase of bp refinery 4/9
- Southern Energy Renewables and Axens Sign MoU to advance SAF projects in Louisiana and beyond 4/8
