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Refining

HP Brief

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

LyondellBasell plans to expand North American ethylene capacityLyondellBasell will raise its ethylene capacity in North America by 18% in coming years through several debottlenecking projects. Locatio..

HP Impact: Promising forecast for the US re-refining industry

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

With a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) exceeding 23% over the next five years, the future of the US re-refined basestocks market looks promising, according to a recent study by Kline & Co..

Exxon pipeline ruptures in Arkansas, spilling crude

Exxon said the weekend breach caused a few thousand barrels of oil to spill into Mayflower, a town of less than 3,000 about 25 miles northwest of Little Rock. The Environmental Protection Agency called it a "major spill," a category that includes any spill larger than 250 barrels.

Saudi oil minister welcomes new energy sources

Mr. Naimi said that prospects for global production of shale gas and oil -- including in China, Ukraine and Poland -- were so promising that the kingdom might not need to continue with its decades-long policy of maintaining an output cushion in case of disruptions in global supply.

Gasoline prices fall on high supply, lower crude

HP Editorial Staff: HP News Services

US pump prices for gasoline are dropping as refiners are boosting production and crude-oil prices are down from a year earlier, according to domestic travel group AAA.

Japan refiners likely to reduce April production with maintenance shutdowns

The country's top oil refiner by capacity plans to cut crude runs by 8% to 1.11 million bpd, while closing two crude distillation units at its Mizushima B refinery in western Japan from late March to late July.

US refiners decry latest EPA proposal for tougher auto pollution standards

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce the proposal as early as Friday. It is expected to require refiners to reduce the amount of sulfur in gasoline to 10 parts per million, down from the current standard of 30 ppm, people familiar with the issue said.

Suncor, Total kill plan for Alberta bitumen upgrader

Amid the ongoing US oil boom, Suncor executives said it may not make sense to spend money on a new upgrading facility, which was to be located in Alberta. Instead, Suncor said it could be more economical to simply send unprocessed heavy bitumen to refiners equipped to handle it.

Kinder Morgan to boost US condensate processing after BP throughput deal

Kinder Morgan's processing facility will split condensate into its various components, such as light and heavy naphtha, kerosene, diesel and gas oil, and can be expanded pending additional market demand, the company said. The new investment will increase its total capacity to 100,000 bpd.

US refinery use signals stronger crude demand

HP Editorial Staff: HP News Services

A better-than-expected increase in last week's US refinery utilization rates is welcome relief to recent concerns that weak demand was contributing to a surplus of crude oil.