Refining
China bank to fund proposed West Canada refinery
British Columbia-based media mogul David Black has been touting what he says will be among the 10 largest refineries in the world. He envisions refining oil from Alberta's oil sands at the $25 billion facility and exporting it from the Pacific port of Kitimat, B.C., to markets in Asia.
UK lawmakers to investigate decline in refining
The Energy and Climate Change Committee, appointed by parliament to examine government expenditure, administration and policy, said it was seeking evidence on what must be done to maintain a suitable baseline level of capacity. The UK had 18 oil refineries in the late 1970s, but has just 7 in 2013.
Honeywell to upgrade automation for Idemitsu at Japan refining complex
Idemitsu Kosan, one of Japan's largest refining and petrochemical companies, said it hopes to modernize its control systems at Tokuyama while adopting global best practices and applications that can be added onto the Experion architecture quickly and with minimal disruption to operations.
Executives predict shale boom in Russia and China, but Europe lags behind
Torbjorn Tornqvist, chief executive of trading house Gunvor, said Wednesday it was clear that shale production on a scale similar to that in the US is possible in several of the world's biggest current energy producers and consumers -- but that Europe is unlikely to be transformed by it.
ExxonMobil refinery fire in Beaumont injures 12
Six injured workers were taken to local hospitals for treatment, with three receiving critical burns. The unit where the fire occurred was shut down for maintenance at the time of Wednesday's blaze.
Exxon offers to buy homes near Arkansas spill site
The move is part of Exxon's response to the rupture of the Pegasus pipeline, which on March 29 spilled about 5,000 bbl of oil into streets and yards of the community. Crews were still at work this week cleaning some areas, and none of the residents of 22 evacuated homes have yet returned.
US investigators blame Chevron over Richmond refinery fire
The investigators found Chevron didn't apply safer design principles at the California refinery and also didn't fix a corroded pipe that ruptured and caused a fire and vapor cloud. The August fire at the 245,000 bpd refinery near San Francisco burned for hours, sending thick, black smoke over the San Francisco Bay.
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.
- PyroGenesis announces completion of coke-oven gas valorization and H2 production project for Tata Steel 7/15
- New protein-based system enables plastic recycling with reusable enzymes 7/15
- CF Industries starts Donaldsonville (U.S.) Complex CO2 dehydration and compression unit, permanent CO2 sequestration 7/15
- Emerson introduces GenAI-enabled automation for power and water industries 7/15
- Trump's sanctions threat looms over Russian oil exports to China, India and Turkey 7/15
- China state refiners ramp up output on rising demand, stock rebuild 7/15
