Americas
US Gulf refiners shut down operations ahead of likely Hurricane Isaac
The storm appears poised to affect US refining operations, about 19% of which are in Louisiana and Mississippi. Forecasters say Isaac should make landfall by Wednesday, most likely in southeast Louisiana.
US chemicals firm TPC to go private in $850mn deal
First Reserve director Neil Wizel said the investment firm plans to help TPC Group expand its core business to capitalize on shale plays in North America and the resulting increase in supply of natural gas and natural gas liquids. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter.
Venezuela refinery explosion boosts prospects for US Gulf refiners
Whether the Amuay refinery can return to normal rates with a reduced storage capacity is in doubt, analysts said, adding that “the outage has reportedly forced” state-owned PdVSA to buy products from US refiners.
Explosion at Amuay refinery in Venezuela kills 41; fire still burning
Crews battling the fire, which broke out early Saturday following a likely gas leak explosion that killed 41 people and injured over 80 more, were dealt a setback by shifting winds overnight. The government has a stance that the plant could resume operations in just a couple days.
Olin buys caustic soda group KA Steel Chemicals
KA Steel, headquartered in Lemont, Illinois, is one of the largest distributors of caustic soda in North America and one of the leading bleach manufacturers in the Midwest. The purchase price for Olin was $328 million.
Iracore to supply lined pipe, fittings to Shell Canada for Alberta oil sands use
The agreement covers three years and provides Shell access to a number of Iracore’s proprietary products and services for use at the Muskeg River and Jackpine oil sands mining projects. Iracore has provided lined pipe solutions to major oil sands mine developers in northern Alberta for over a decade.
Sempra opens new underground gas storage facility in US
Sempra US Gas & Power LLC, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, will commence operations at a second underground natural gas storage facility in Simpson County, Mississippi. The capacity addition of 7.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) increases the storage cavern's total storage capacity to 15 Bcf.
US company announces first CNG delivery contracts
Compressed natural gas (CNG) trucking and delivery firm NG Advantage LLC today announced that it has secured multi-year contracts for delivery of CNG, starting in early 2013. NG Advantage believes this is the first announcement of contracts for CNG delivered to enterprises beyond the pipeline in the US.
US chemical production flat, trending downward
According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the US Chemical Production Regional Index (US CPRI) slipped by 0.1% in July, following flat growth in June.
ConocoPhillips: Four workers injured in Wyoming gas processing plant fire
The fire extinguished itself immediately and the four contract employees have been transported to receive medical attention, according to a statement. The maintenance operation has been suspended.
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