Construction
Braskem to invest $675 MM in 6th US-based polypropylene plant
BRASILIA (Reuters) — Braskem SA, Latin America's largest petrochemical company, will invest $675 MM to build a sixth US-based polypropylene-production plant, the company said on Wednesday.
New Chinese refineries due for test runs in end-June, Aug.
(Reuters) — PetroChina's 260,000 bpd greenfield refinery in southwestern Yunnan province is due for test productions at end of this month, while CNOOC-operated Huizhou plant is targeting August for test runs, according to two senior industry sources with knowledge of the matter.
S-Oil awards Lloyd’s Register RBI contract for olefin complex
Lloyd’s Register (LR), the leading provider of engineering and technology-centric professional services, is awarded a new contract from S-Oil Corporation (S-Oil) covering the implementation of a fully integrated risk-based inspection (RBI) system. Based at S-OIL’s largest investment project—a new $4.2 B residue upgrading and Olefin downstream complex (RUC/ODC) plant in Ulsan, Korea—the new contract will commence this month.
Chevron Phillips marks milestone of its $6 B US Gulf Coast petchem project
Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP announced that the two polyethylene (PE) units of its $6 B petrochemical investment on the US Gulf Coast successfully achieved the major milestone of mechanical completion.
Velocys commercial-scale biorefinery plans move forward
Velocys plc announced that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invited Velocys to submit a Phase II Application to obtain a loan guarantee for a commercial-scale biorefinery. This invitation was made after a successful Phase I Application process. The loan guarantee could apply to up to $200 MM of debt as part of the total installed cost of the project.
Kinder Morgan Canada raises $4.6 B as Trans Mountain faces block
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) — Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd has raised $4.16 B for its Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and could have raised even more, the company said on Friday, despite pressure on banks to back away from the project.
Grace licenses process technology to Hengli petchem refinery
COLUMBIA, Md. — W. R. Grace & Co., a supplier of polyolefin catalyst technology and polypropylene (PP) process technology, contracted to license its UNIPOL PP process technology to Hengli Petrochemical Refinery Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Hengli Group.
MMEX Resources announces plans for initial 10 Mbpd Permian Basin refinery
AUSTIN, TEXAS — MMEX Resources Corp., a development-stage company focusing on the acquisition, development and financing of oil, gas, refining and infrastructure projects in Texas and South America, announced an agreement with Crown Bridge Partners, LLC for an issuance of up to $3 MM of equity securities, as well as plans to build a 10,000 bpd crude distillation unit near Fort Stockton, Texas as an initial unit for the $450 MM, 50,000 bpd Pecos County refinery project announced by MMEX earlier this year.
Dangote awards DuPont contracts for new oil refinery in Nigeria
WILMINGTON, Del. — DuPont Clean Technologies announced that Dangote Oil Refinery Company Ltd has commissioned a range of advanced proprietary equipment from DuPont for the construction of a new refinery in Lekki, near Nigeria’s capital, Lagos. The new refinery is set to become the largest single-train refinery in the world and the complex will include a petrochemical plant, a fertilizer plant and a subsea pipeline project.
INEOS to construct PDH unit, increase cracker facilities capacity
INEOS has announced plans to construct a world-scale Propane Dehydrogenation (PDH) unit in Europe. The plant will produce 750,000 tpy of propylene for INEOS units across the continent.

- U.S. EIA forecasts new export licensing requirements will reduce U.S. ethane exports 6/18
- Nigeria to export first gasoline cargo to Asia from Dangote refinery 6/18
- Indian refiners cancel palm oil orders for July-September as prices surge 6/18
- U.S. set to object to green jet fuel recommendation at UN aviation council 6/18
- Phoenix Contact introduces intrinsic safety versions of the MINI Analog Pro Ex conditioners for hazardous areas 6/18
- EIA: U.S. crude inventories fall by most in a year, fuel stocks build 6/18