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Crude oil

Motiva completes Port Arthur refinery expansion, becomes largest in US

The new 325,000 bpd crude unit that started processing is combining with existing units to raise capacity to 600,000 bpd, making the Texas refinery the largest in the US.

PdVSA to expand El Palito refinery via Japan loans

The Venezuelan government has secured $1 billion in loans from a consortium of Japanese companies, led by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, most of which will go toward expanding the South American country's El Palito refinery. Venezuela has aimed to increase shipments to Asian markets.

Hess to spend $45 million on pollution controls at New Jersey refinery

Hess will pay an $850,000 civil penalty and install new pollution controls in a settlement to resolve US Clean Air Act violations at its 70,000 bpd refinery in Port Reading, N.J.

Halliburton files protest against BP spill settlement

Halliburton is objecting to BP’s proposed $7.8 billion settlement with individual plaintiffs for its involvement in the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster. The Houston-based company also contends BP's settlement would make Halliburton responsible for paying at least part of the settlement.

Sunoco, Carlyle mull refinery venture to keep Philadelphia site operational

HP Editorial Staff: HP News

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.

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.

Iran accuses Saudi Arabia of breaking OPEC ceiling

Iran accused Saudi Arabia of breaching a collective OPEC agreement, reviving fears that the group could fracture again when it meets in June. Any new split within the group - which is set debate output again mid-June - could impede its ability to both coordinate production and to keep a lid on price volatility.

Statoil sells fuel, retail unit, turns focus to upstream

Statoil joins a long string of oil majors offloading their retail holdings and leaving a challenging market where profits are pressured by high crude oil prices. The deal will give Canadian buyer Alimentation Couche-Tard around 2,300 fuel stations across Scandinavia, Poland, the Baltics and Russia.

CB&I to build storage tanks for Kinder Morgan oil terminal in Canada

CB&I has been awarded a storage tank contract, valued in excess of $55 million, by Trans Mountain Pipeline, operated by a subsidiary of a Canadian subsidiary of Kinder Morgan. The project is scheduled for completion in 2013 and will go in the company’s books as a first quarter 2012 award.

Brazilian miner Vale, oil major Petrobras to unveil joint projects next month

Brazilian mining company Vale and oil and gas company Petrobras will announce joint projects in a month's time. Vale and Petrobras, Brazil's biggest companies by market value, last Friday signed an accord to undertake joint projects in areas including fertilizer raw materials and oil and gas.