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Refining

U.S. Gulf Coast fuel oil imports hit 2.5-yr high amid Venezuelan, Russian sanctions

U.S. Gulf Coast refiners are ramping up fuel oil imports to fill a widening gap left by declining heavy crude supplies, particularly from U.S.-sanctioned Venezuela.

Senegal plans to start construction of new refinery next year

SAR, West Africa's oldest refinery, processes 1.5 MMtpy of crude oil (or around 30,000 bpd), but faces a domestic shortfall.

India's diesel exports to Europe potentially surged to record in September

September volumes from Asia's key swing supplier bound for Europe were at 1.3 MM metric t–1.4 MM metric t (9.7 MMbbl–10.4 MMbbl).

Taiwan says it will cooperate with further restrictions on Russian energy imports

While Taiwan joined the United States and major Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of energy, a major hard currency earner for Russia.

IRPC Rewind: ExxonMobil unveils liquid-phase isomerization advances for paraxylene production

At the IRPC in Houston, Texas, ExxonMobil presented breakthrough results in its liquid-phase isomerization (LPI) process, highlighting energy efficiency, improved yields and strong commercial performance.

European oil refineries bet on green projects to secure long-term future

Pressured by environmental regulations and competition from modern plants, European refineries have been trying to ramp up production of cleaner products such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and biofuels to meet regulatory demand for such fuels.

Update: Nigeria oil union calls off strike after talks with Dangote Petroleum

The strike was called after the Dangote refinery—Africa's largest with a crude processing capacity of 650,000 bpd—dismissed more than 800 unionized staff.

Phillips 66 provides update on Los Angeles (U.S.) refinery operations

The facility is executing a detailed schedule to safely idle operations. Several process units have been placed in an idle state. The remaining units will be idled in a phased manner through the end of 2025.

Pertamina says crucial unit of Balikpapan refinery upgrade will start in Q4

Balikpapan is one of Pertamina's largest refineries and the upgrade is designed to increase its refining capacity to from 260,000 bpd to 360,000 bpd, as well as improve its efficiency and diversify its operations.

Taiyo Oil and Mitsui Chemicals consider collaboration to expand supply of chemically recycled products

The study aims to have Taiyo Oil's Shikoku Operations handle the heavy fraction of pyrolysis oil from plastic waste, which is difficult for Mitsui Chemicals to process with its crackers. Chemically recycled naphtha, propylene and other products based on the mass balance approach will then be supplied to Mitsui Chemicals.