Americas
Methanex inks offtake deal with OCI for restarted Texas methanol plant
Canada-based Methanex has entered into a long-term offtake agreement with Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) for a significant portion of the production from the OCI methanol plant in Beaumont, Texas. OCI has said the Beaumont plant will produce 750,000 tpy of methanol.
Conoco refining spinoff Phillips 66 to join S&P 500
Phillips 66, the refining company splitting from ConocoPhillips, will replace Supervalu in Standard & Poor's 500-stock index at the end of the month. The index includes 500 leading large-cap US companies. Once complete, Phillips 66 plans to expand its chemical and midstream operations.
Former BP engineer faces first criminal charges in Deepwater Horizon case
Kurt Mix of Katy, Texas, is charged with two counts of obstructing justice for deleting from his iPhone hundreds of text messages he exchanged with a co-worker and a contractor.
US monthly chemical output continues to rise - ACC
The US Chemical Production Regional Index (CPRI) rose by 0.1% in March from February, according to the ACC trade group, following a revised 1.0% gain in the prior month. Some of the largest gains were in man-made fibers, adhesives, industrial gases, inorganic chemicals, and pesticides.
Sunoco, Carlyle mull refinery venture to keep Philadelphia site operational
If a deal is struck, Carlyle would hold the majority stake and oversee day-to-day operations at the 330,000 bpd refinery. Many had expected the site to be shut down this July.
Amor signs process control pact with Aera Energy
Aera Energy, a California-based oil and gas producer, has selected Amor Group to review and enhance the security of its various process control systems. Under the deal, Amor will provide an in-depth review of Aera’s security policy and procedures through its ProcessSecurity+ offering.
Braskem-Idesa picks GE compressor technology in Mexico ethylene, PE venture
The Veracruz ethylene and polyethylene (PE) complex in Mexico, a joint venture between Brazil’s Braskem and Mexico’s Grupo Idesa, will use hyper compressor and booster compressor technologies from GE. The GE technologies will be key elements of the low-density polyethylene (LPDE) plant.
US oil demand falls in March, gasoline use up - API
Total petroleum deliveries (a measure of demand) slipped 1.3% in March compared with March 2011, but gasoline deliveries were up 3%, according to monthly data from the API. US gasoline production of 9.3 million bpd set a record for any March and for any comparable year-to-date period.
EPA settles US biofuel violations with 30 companies
Thirty companies have agreed to pay what the EPA described as "modest" civil penalties for using fraudulent credits to meet a federal biofuel mandate. The settlement resolves violations of the Renewable Fuels Standard for companies such as ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips.
Dow to build world-scale ethylene plant by 2017 at Freeport complex
The new Texas cracker is part of a plan to further connect US operations with low-cost feedstocks available from increasing US shale gas supply, says CEO Andrew Liveris.
- IHI, Vopak to launch ammonia terminal project in Japan 7/11
- India's BPCL plans to shut Bina refinery unit for 15-day maintenance in August 7/11
- Soaring electric truck sales deal new blow to diesel use in China 7/11
- Russia`s Tatneft launches new hydrocracking unit on TANECO refinery 7/11
- IEA: Global oil market may be tighter than it looks 7/11
- India must boost its petchem output to counter China's dominance, Reliance says 7/11
