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Europe

BASF awards process engineering pact to Jacobs for Antwerp chemicals site

Under terms of the contract, Jacobs is providing process, piping and electrical/ instrumentation engineering services to the Antwerp chemicals site. Officials said the contract duration is three years.

Fluor wins FEED work from BP, Shell for clean fuels project in South Africa

The project will enable a substantial upgrade of the SAPREF refinery, thereby improving the quality of transportation fuels by reducing levels of sulfur, benzene and aromatics and meeting enhanced legislative requirements. The deal allows for a possible EPCm contract to be signed at a later date.

French court rejects bids for Petroplus refinery

The court considered Libya's Murzuk Oil and Dubai-based NetOil as potential bidders after months of selection, but they didn't offer enough financial strength for a project that requires heavy investment. The court-appointed receiver will now seek a buyer for the plant's assets and dismantle it if none is found.

Shell mulls sale of downstream businesses in Italy

The potential sale is consistent with Shell’s strategy to concentrate its global downstream businesses where it can be most competitive, according to company officials. Recent examples include the sale of refineries in the UK and Germany and downstream businesses in Finland and Sweden.

Uganda seals deal to build refinery, export pipeline

The agreement to build a refinery with a capacity of just 30,000 bpd was reached following a meeting on Saturday between Mr. Museveni and representatives of the oil companies. It follows a warning from Total in February that failure to include an export pipeline in the plan would stall the development.

IEA cuts global oil demand outlook, warns on supply

The downward revision by the Paris-based consumer group reflects similar moves by other industry forecasters as concerns over the global economy continue to weigh on demand expectations. The decline reflects very weak demand from industrialized countries, particularly in Europe.

EMGC '13: Gas infrastructure development critical for Eastern Mediterranean

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Adrienne Blume

Day 2 of EMGC’s technical program addressed regional infrastructure developments in the morning, while the afternoon speakers focused on resource development in Cyprus and Israel.

Algeria to double refining capacity within five years

Algeria's state-run energy group, Sonatrach, has said it plans to invest $80 billion in oil and natural gas projects until 2016 as it seeks to expand the gas resource base, boost refining and petrochemical capacity and curb dependence on imported fuel. The nation produced 1.16 million bpd of oil last month.

Global chemical industry to see modest growth, driven by M&A activity

HP Editorial Staff: HP News

In its 2013 outlook, Deloitte finds that the financial influences of globalization, market maturation in China, and raw material trends will position M&A as an effective strategic tool.

Shell offers to sell stake in top Czech refinery

"We received an offer from Shell and it's led to negotiations," Industry Minister Martin Kuba said. The minister is also said that Shell offered its stake to the two other shareholders in the refinery, which have an option to purchase the stake before it's offered to third parties.