Americas
BASF to build emulsion polymers plant in Texas
With the new plant in Freeport, Texas, BASF believes it will be able to better serve the coatings, construction, adhesives, and paper industries by expanding the network of manufacturing locations and improve the backward integration of raw materials used in production.
US to overtake Saudi Arabia as top oil producer, says IEA
A shale oil boom means US production will pass that of Saudi Arabia by 2020, the IEA says, in a radical shift that could greatly transform energy supplies and geopolitics. The assessment is in stark contrast with last year, when the agency envisioned Russia and Saudi Arabia vying for the top position.
PdVSA to restore Amuay refinery output this year
PdVSA has on multiple occasions missed targets for resuming normal operations at Amuay. Reuters reported earlier that the company is waiting for replacements for parts that were damaged in the blast, which, once installed, will restore Amuay to pre-explosion processing levels.
DuPont acquires KVT wet gas sulfuric acid process
DuPont says the acquisition of the technology demonstrates a commitment to the wet gas marketplace, where the company is currently executing projects with feed gas sources ranging from coal gasification to viscose production to nonferrous metallurgical off-gas processing.
TransCanada expects Keystone XL approval after Obama re-election
Supporters of the project say it will create jobs, lower gasoline prices and spur US energy independence by greatly increasing the amount of available crude supply. However, the project has drawn the ire of the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, which are worried about safety.
US energy groups target Keystone approval, shale as Obama wins second term
Obama won the US election with 332 electoral votes, far exceeding the 270 required to win. Republican challenger Mitt Romney finished with 206. “Right off the bat, the president can approve the Keystone Pipeline and put thousands of Americans to work immediately," said the API's chief executive.
India's Gulf Oil to buy specialty chemicals company Houghton International
The acquisition will allow Gulf Oil, part of the diversified Hinduja Group, to expand its lubricants and chemicals business. Indian companies have been increasingly looking overseas for acquisitions because red tape, corruption and land acquisition issues often hurt plans to expand at home.
Marathon Petroleum restarts Detroit refinery after major expansion project
The $2.2 billion, four-year Detroit Heavy Oil Upgrade Project increased the refinery's heavy-oil processing capacity to 100,000 bpd, five times the amount it could process before the project. Heavy oil is usually sold at discounts to light varieties, which are easier to process.
Fire erupts at PdVSA Cardon refinery in Venezuela
Workers at the site shut down the unit shortly after a small explosion caused a fire at the plant, Ivan Freites, secretary general of the local oil workers union, said. He added that some workers were being evacuated as a precautionary measure but did not offer more details.
Oxea mulls downstream plant expansions in Texas
The study is examining various scenarios to boost the Bay City plant’s capacities, as well as the further optimization of Oxea’s product portfolio, according to company officials. The announcement follows a recent project in which Bay City syngas production was successfully raised by 10%.
- 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
