Refining
Gunvor starts former Petroplus refinery in Germany
All regulatory and merger control approvals have been obtained. The official closing date was August 23, and the first crude vessel has already discharged to supply the refinery. The production capacity is 100,000 bpd.
Explosion at Amuay refinery in Venezuela kills 41; fire still burning
Crews battling the fire, which broke out early Saturday following a likely gas leak explosion that killed 41 people and injured over 80 more, were dealt a setback by shifting winds overnight. The government has a stance that the plant could resume operations in just a couple days.
Flint Hills plans Corpus refinery upgrade in Texas
Flint Hills says Corpus Christi is the most advantaged location to process new supply. "To be able to process more Texas crude, we need new processing capabilities," said refining manager Phil Gaarder.
Kinder Morgan to supply Phillips 66 Texas refinery with Eagle Ford shale crude
Kinder Morgan will provide Phillips 66 with a significant portion of the lateral pipeline's initial 30,000 bpd of capacity, which is expandable to 100,000 bpd. Pending receipt of environmental and regulatory approvals, construction is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Romney outlines his proposed US energy policy
Romney's plan would let states apply their own energy regulations and permit rules to federal lands, a move aimed at streamlining energy exploration. It also looks to expand offshore-drilling leases in states such as Virginia and the Carolinas and work closely with Canada and Mexico to raise production.
BP recalls contaminated fuel from Indiana refinery
BP issued a recall for the unleaded regular gasoline shipped from Whiting between Aug. 13 and 17, saying it could cause hard starting, stalling and other drivability issues. The fuel would have been sold to motorists at various gas stations, not just BP-branded outlets, according to the company.
Chemtex awarded loan guarantee from US to build cellulosic ethanol refinery
Once operational, the facility is expected to convert 600,000 tpy of energy grasses into an estimated 20 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol using a proprietary enzymatic hydrolysis process. The plant will produce biofuels for eastern transportation markets using non-food biomass feedstocks.
Argentina files complaint against EU over Spanish blockage of biodiesel
Argentina's Foreign Ministry said Spain's rules were an attempt to stop developing countries from gaining more control of global value chains and evolving beyond their role as suppliers of raw materials, according to a statement. With the complaint, Spain now has 60 days to show its rules are fair.
US oil, gasoline demand slips to near four-year low
Total petroleum demand for the year to date was down 2.3%, according to the API. Gasoline demand fell more, down 2.2% from June and down 3.8% from July a year ago to hit the lowest July level since 1997. Despite weakening demand, refinery production remained strong.
EPA opens review into US corn ethanol mandate
The Environmental Protection Agency said it received formal requests from the governors of Arkansas and North Carolina to ease the renewable-fuel standard, triggering a 90-day review that could lead to the agency's first-ever decision to reduce or waive the mandate.

- U.S. firms to develop Syria energy masterplan after Trump lifts sanctions 7/18
- Russian seaborne diesel exports for July 1–15 fall 6% month-on-month 7/18
- INEOS invests £30 MM to slash emissions at Hull site by 75% 7/18
- Mitsubishi Chemical Group invests in Licella Holdings, oil conversion technology using supercritical water 7/18
- BASF and Equinor sign 10-yr natural gas supply agreement 7/18
- Oil prices rise after new EU sanctions on Russia 7/18