Europe
Iran says EU ban on crude imports to hurt Europe
Iran doesn't expect Europe to follow through on its threat to ban imports of oil from the Islamic republic because it would hurt the euro zone's energy security.
Shale gas gives rise to era of energy independence
A boom in shale gas output has lifted US gas supplies to record levels, creating an environment to sustain low prices and offering a new era in energy independence.
CB&I lands engineering pact for new petrochemical complex in Russia
CB&I has been awarded a contract by OJSC Rosneft for the license and basic engineering of a naphtha steam cracking unit and a butadiene and benzene extraction unit for a new petrochemical complex in Russia. The steam cracking unit, which will be the world’s largest, is designed to produce more than 1.4 million tpy of ethylene and more than 600,000 tpy of propylene.
Linde, Statoil say joint Arctic LNG plant exceeding performance expectations
The world's northernmost natural gas liquefaction plant - Hammerfest LNG on the island Melkøya, 800 km north of the Arctic Circle near Hammerfest in Norway - passed its performance test in August, exceeding the expectations. The plant is a unique technology project of the European natural gas and EPC industry.
Chevron Phillips Chemical closes deal for Neste Oil polyalphaolefin plant in Belgium
Chevron Phillips Chemical has successfully completed the acquisition of a polyalphaolefin (PAO) plant located in Beringen, Belgium from Neste Oil. The deal was first announced in September.
EU imposes new Iran sanctions, but no oil embargo
European Union foreign ministers agreed Thursday to impose new sanctions on additional Iranian entities, but a French proposal for a blanket embargo on Iranian oil exports met significant resistance. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said an oil embargo was still "being debated" and diplomats said some restrictions on Iran oil imports were likely to be imposed in the coming months.
UOP forms alliance with Netherlands’ Twister for natural gas treatment technology
Honeywell’s UOP said Wednesday that it plans to expand its portfolio of natural gas treatment technologies through an exclusive marketing alliance with the Netherlands-based Twister B.V. UOP has also acquired a minority position in Twister B.V., the company said.
Norway agency sees "very serious shortcomings" in BP safety
BP’s efforts to monitor and respond to sudden pollution releases such as oil spills in the Norwegian Sea suffer from "very serious shortcomings" that demand immediate improvement, Norwegian regulators said. The report is the latest indication of health and safety issues at BP, which was plagued by a massive oil spill in the US Gulf of Mexico in 2010 and by numerous other accidents in recent years.
Developing nations seen making better efforts on climate change - official
Developing countries are making more effort to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions than the developing world and that imbalance is threatening the future of the Kyoto Protocol, Venezuela's climate change representative said Tuesday.
Cereplast inks bioplastic distribution deal in Turkey
Cereplast on Tuesday announced a three-year distribution agreement with GAMA Plastik AS to supply bioplastic resin in Turkey. The country is one of the fastest growing plastics markets in the world and third in terms of market share in Europe behind Germany and Italy.
- Kandla Port (India) advances methanol bunkering, marks key step toward green maritime transition 4/13
- PureField Ingredients receives U.S. EPA approval for ethanol carbon capture initiative 4/13
- Eslinger Biofuels and STX Group announce landmark clean fuel partnership 4/13
- FincoEnergies and Scan Global Logistics partner on Biofuel Swap verifiable road transport CO₂e reductions 4/13
- Indian state government approves $1.2-B, first-of-its-kind bamboo-to-biomethanol facility 4/13
- NextDecade to use Honeywell liquefaction technology for 30-MMtpy LNG terminal 4/13

