Refining
NPRA praises US transition to net fuels exporter
A new report that says growing US exports of petroleum fuels may enable the country to become a net exporter of refined petroleum products this year for the first time since 1949 is good news for the US, according to National Petrochemical & Refiners Association (NPRA) president Charles T. Drevna.
Toyo lands project management deal for Venezuela refinery upgrading work
Toyo Engineering, in consortium with a Venezuelan engineering firm Y&V Ingeniería y Construcción, has been awarded a project management consultant contract for a heavy oil upgrading project of Venezuelan national petroleum company PDVSA at its Puerto La Cruz refinery in the State of Anzoátegui. The project aims to satisfy the energy demands of the domestic market in Venezuela and overseas exports.
ConocoPhillips finishes Illinois refinery expansion
ConocoPhillips said the expansion project at its joint-venture Wood River refinery in Roxana, Illinois, has been completed following the successful start of a new coker unit. The Wood River Refinery is jointly owned by ConocoPhillips and Cenovus Energy and is operated by ConocoPhillips.
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.
Neste Oil, Bapco start up base oil plant in Bahrain
Neste Oil, The Bahrain Petroleum Co. (Bapco), and nogaholding have officially opened their new joint base oil plant in Bahrain. The plant has a capacity of 400,000 tpy and is located at Bapco's refinery on Bahrain's east coast.
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.
ConocoPhillips looking to sell Alliance refinery in Louisiana - report
ConocoPhillips is seeking buyers for its Alliance refinery in Belle Chasse, La., Bloomberg News reported Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the company's plans. The refinery has 247,000 bpd of capacity, making it the 20th largest in the US, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Flint Hills acquires idled Nebraska biodiesel plant
Flint Hills Resources is acquiring an idled biodiesel plant in Beatrice, Neb., through a bankruptcy sale. The Beatrice plant was built in 2008 but was never in service. The plant is designed to produce 50 million gal/year of biodiesel.
Topsøe to supply equipment for new Petrobras refinery in Brazil
Topsoe has signed an agreement with Brazilian oil major Petrobras to supply critical equipment and materials for two SNOX plants. The SNOX plants will clean the off gases from three boilers in the refinery that supplies electricity and steam for internal use.
GTL base oil shipments from Shell Qatar venture begin reaching Americas
Shell Lubricants says its first shipment of gas-to-liquid (GTL) base oil has reached the Port of Houston. The high-quality product, the first from the Qatar-based Pearl GTL plant to reach the Americas, will be stored at a hub in Houston and routed to Shell Lubricants' GTL-enabled blending facilities throughout the US, the company said.
- Evonik launches high performance isodewaxing catalysts for fuels and lubricants production 4/16
- BASF to increase its price for neopentylglycol in the U.S. and Canada 4/16
- AMETEK Process Instruments announces additions to next-gen quartz crystal microbalance moisture analyzer line 4/16
- Brenntag Energy Services announces designated distributorship with BASF for Keropur fuel performance additives in continental Europe 4/16
- Shell restarts crude unit at Pernis oil refinery 4/16
- Nigerian airlines threaten to halt flights over soaring jet fuel prices 4/16
