Europe
UK fuel tanker drivers avert strike after close vote
A threatened strike by fuel-tanker drivers has been avoided after members of the drivers' union voted to accept a deal offering common safety standards and training, as well as an accreditation scheme for drivers. The deal was reached after eight days of talks at the UK arbitration group Acas.
Nord Stream mulls expansion for Russia-to-Europe gas pipeline system
Nord Stream, the consortium that operates a natural gas pipeline that ships Russian gas to western Europe via the Baltic Sea, said over the weekend it is considering further expanding the pipeline. It didn't say by how much the expansion could increase gas shipping capacity.
IEA predicts sharp rise in global refining production
Refiners are poised to ramp up production after seasonal spring maintenance and expected stronger demand for oil products through the summer, the IEA says. Fuel demand traditionally picks up in the northern hemisphere summer but especially in the US, the world's largest oil consumer.
Qatar looks to buy stakes in oil giants Shell, Eni
Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, continuing its recent splurge on overseas assets, is eyeing stakes in Anglo-Dutch energy group Royal Dutch Shell and Italy's Eni. Qatar is in "very advanced talks" to buy 3-5% of Shell, a major investor in Qatar, and a 3% stake in Italian oil giant Eni.
OPEC boosts group oil production to highest level since '08 recession
Acting to dampen market nervousness amid Iran supply fears, OPEC on Thursday said it was pumping more oil than the market needs - at levels not seen since summer 2008 - and signaled demand destruction had been halted for now. Crude production was up 317,000 bpd month on month.
Petroplus finds buyer for Swiss refinery in Cressier
Varo Holding SA, the joint venture between oil trader Vitol and AtlasInvest, has agreed to buy the 68,000 bpd Cressier refinery in Switzerland from beleaguered Swiss refiner Petroplus. Varo intends to restart the refinery and continue refining operations. The deal is expected to close in the 2012 second quarter.
Mozambique works with Shell on LNG development
Mozambique is in talks with Royal Dutch Shell about the oil giant developing the country's natural-gas resources, including a possible liquefied-natural-gas project. Shell upped its bid to acquire Cove Energy, a junior partner in the potentially huge Rovuma gas field in the country, on April 24.
Aker Solutions starts up Mongstad carbon capture plant in Norway
Aker Solutions on Monday inaugurated its carbon capture plant in Mongstad, Norway, calling it an important milestone for the company. The plant was completed mechanically in June 2011 and was followed by commissioning and start-up activities.
US likely to limit LNG exports to keep low gas price
The US government is likely to impose limits on exports of LNG in order to keep its natural gas prices low, said executives from two major oil firms. Several companies are planning to build plants that would convert some of this domestic surplus of gas into LNG that could be shipped internationally.
Finland's Neste Oil sells first biodiesel to US market
Finland's Neste Oil has recently supplied its first batch of NExBTL biodiesel to the US market. NExBTL renewable diesel is an ideal low-carbon fuel for the US market because it is compatible with existing infrastructureand is accepted within the existing refinery and pipeline distribution system, the company says.
- Studi Tecnologie Progetti S.p.A. signs agreement to upgrade Attock refinery in Pakistan for $600 MM 7/1
- Maire's NEXTCHEM awarded engineering contract for Pacifico Mexinol's $3.3-B, 2.1-MMtpy low-carbon methanol project 7/1
- BASF closes purchase of DOMO Chemicals’ shares in Alsachimie JV 7/1
- deugro completes another equipment shipment for INEOS' Project One project in Belgium 7/1
- Shell renews contract with Cyberhawk, enabling a global visualization and data integration platform across its portfolio 7/1
- HyOrc and Acetech partner to develop waste-to-green methanol facility in the UK 7/1
