Americas
TPC approves engineering design phase for Texas butadiene expansion
This approval follows the successful completion of the project's preliminary engineering study to produce butadiene from a variety of sources. TPC Group said it anticipates that its engineering design optimization will be complete by the end of the third quarter of 2013.
Transocean accused of improper training, subpar maintenance in Gulf spill
Information about close calls on other rigs wasn't passed along, a lawyer said, adding that just a month before the April 2010 accident, the Transocean crew on the Deepwater Horizon failed to catch a sudden surge of natural gas from the well they were drilling, indicating the company had "a chronic problem."
Magellan to buy refined product pipelines of Plains in Rocky Mountain region
The assets to be sold from Plains include a pipeline system that delivers refined products throughout Wyoming, South Dakota and Colorado and associated tankage, as well as a pipeline system that delivers refined products from El Paso, Texas, to Albuquerque, N.M., and Juarez, Mexico.
C3 Petrochemicals plans new Texas PDH plant
If the application is approved, C3 Petrochemicals will build a new propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant near Alvin, Texas, to produce polymer- and chemical-grade propylene.
BP may receive $16 billion offer from US to settle Gulf oil spill civil claims
The settlement offer would cover potential fines owed by BP under the Clean Water Act and payments under another process known as the Natural Resources Damage Assessment. The fines stem from the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill that ensued from the Deepwater Horizon well blowout in April 2010.
Cheniere to start US LNG export facility in late 2015
The announcement underscores how Cheniere, the only company to possess the necessary government permits to export natural gas to countries not in free-trade agreements with the US, is on schedule with its first two processing units while government regulators pore over other permit applications.
API appeals E15 gasoline rule to US Supreme Court
The group alleges that had EPA stayed within its statutory authority and followed proper procedures, it would have waited until ongoing E15 testing on engines and fuel systems was completed before allowing the use of E15. Then it would have found that E15 is not safe for numerous vehicles.
US crude rail deliveries hit record high, still rising
Refiners increasingly depend on rail cars to bring in the oil being produced in increasing quantities throughout the US and Canada. Innovations in drilling techniques have allowed oil companies to cull oil from shale formations faster than pipeline companies can connect the wells to market.
Worker found dead at Valero refinery in Oklahoma
Valero said the cause of death is unknown and is under investigation -- there are no signs of any release, "no fire, no explosion, nothing like that". The refinery's emergency response team called an ambulance after the man was found unconscious, and the man was pronounced dead at the hospital.
US court ruling could cut BP's final spill penalty
A judge in New Orleans agreed to a stipulation that could reduce BP's maximum penalty in connection with the Deepwater Horizon accident by as much as $3.5 billion.
- Allied Biofuels signs PIA with Uzbekistan to advance $6-B biofuels refinery project 4/10
- Nufarm strengthens strategic collaboration to support long term growth in biofuels production 4/10
- Pertamina and CRecTech sign MoU to explore pilot biogas-to-biomethanol facility in SEZ, Indonesia 4/10
- Shell Chemicals and Syensqo partner to deliver low-carbon ethylene oxide solutions 4/10
- HAMR Energy’s nationally significant fuel projects selected for Australian Government’s Investor Front Door Pilot 4/10
- HD Hyundai Heavy Industries builds world's first ammonia-powered vessel 4/10
