Americas
Mitsui Chemicals mulls investment in US market
Low natural gas prices resulting from the US shale-gas boom are stimulating new investments in petrochemical plants there. "We're in talks with several companies," company president Toshikazu Tanaka told reporters. "The US is a very big market. We're interested."
Methanex wins environmental approvals for plant relocation in Louisiana
The approval represents a key milestone for the project. With air permits now in place, construction on the Geismar site can commence, according to the company. Dismantling activities in Chile have progressed and the project remains on track to produce methanol by the end of 2014.
GE partners with Clean Energy on LNG truck fueling
GE's plug-and-play modular units, designed to rapidly liquefy gas while minimizing physical footprint, will support fueling stations along major US transportation corridors. Truck fleets often can reduce fuel costs by more than 25% and cut emissions with LNG, the company says.
US industry sees self-sufficiency for natural gas, but not crude oil – survey
When it comes to oil, however, survey respondents are far less optimistic about the ability to meet American demand with domestic supplies: 54% say the US will never be completely oil self-sufficient, and only 26% of respondents say oil self-sufficiency is achievable in the next 10 years.
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.
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