Americas
Dow restarts long-idled Louisiana olefins cracker
According to Dow, the St. Charles plant located near Hanville, La., began producing on-spec ethylene on Dec. 25, meeting previously announced goals to restart the site by the end of 2012. The St. Charles cracker, which was idled in January 2009, reportedly has a capacity of 380,000 tpy.
Phillips 66 signs oil-by-rail contract for Bayway refinery in New Jersey
The contract with Global Partners also cements North Dakota crude's hold in the East Coast refining belt, where two other refiners already get Bakken crude by rail.
Valero venture to construct Texas marine terminal
Valero's marine terminal will receive crude tankers of up to Suezmax class, and will be able to operate without the daylight restrictions imposed on other terminals in the upper Sabine-Neches waterway. The crude dock is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2013.
Foster Wheeler expands North American offering of CFB scrubber technology
Although Foster Wheeler has provided this technology globally for more than a year, it was previously offered in North America exclusively through a third party under a licensing arrangement. Foster Wheeler acquired the Graf Wulff CFB scrubber technology due to its flexibility to meet new tightening regulations.
Maryland court denies objection to Dominion LNG export proposal
Dominion will move forward with engineering and regulatory review processes after a judgment confirmed its right to build liquefaction facilities at the group's Cove Point facility.
Arkieva upgrades supply chain software for INEOS
INEOS upgraded to version 4.6 of the suite, which will enable them to benefit from the latest features of the software, such as improved analytics and performance monitoring, and also allow better integration with the latest Windows version, according to company officials.
Alfa Laval buys US heat transfer product supplier Air Cooled Exchangers
ACE is expected to generate sales of approximately SEK 350 million ($54 million) in 2012, with profitability well above the average for the Alfa Laval Group. The intention is to integrate Air Cooled Exchangers into the company's energy and environment segment, within the process technology division.
Motiva shuts leaky CDU at expanded Texas refinery
The Motiva refinery is jointly owned by Shell and Saudi Arabian Oil Co. The new crude unit is the culmination of a $10 billion expansion project that added 325,000 bpd of capacity and made the refinery one of the largest in the world. The unit, first commissioned in May, has experienced several setbacks.
Enbridge plans pipeline expansions in Canada, US
The Canadian pipeline company, which in November announced it would go ahead with a C$1.8 billion expansion of the system in the oil-rich province of Alberta, said the latest expansion will add 230,000 bpd of capacity. Enbridge said the expansion will involve increased pumping horsepower.
Airgas buys welding supply firms Metroplex, Excel
The Metroplex and Excel acquisitions are complementary to the Airgas portfolio of products and services, according to the US-based company. Combined annual revenues for the two acquired businesses are more than $30 million. Financial terms of the transactions were not disclosed.
- 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
