ConocoPhillips Pulls Back on Plans to Sell Oil-Sands Assets
(Tuesday, May 21, 2013) ConocoPhillips is pulling back on plans to sell its Canadian oil sands assets after it exceeded its target for raising capital by divesting energy properties elsewhere.

Flood of Russian Diesel Puts Pressure on European Refiners
(Tuesday, May 21, 2013) Russia's slowing economy is leading to a flood of Russian diesel flowing to Europe, which could force a new round of European refinery closures.

Drevna Applauds RFS Legislation
(Monday, May 20, 2013) AFPM President Charles T. Drevna said that his organization supports the Foreign Fuels Reduction Act legislation recently introduced by Sens. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Joe Manchin (D-WV).

Pemex Files Suit to Recover Nearly $160MM from Siemens, SKEC
(Monday, May 20, 2013) Pemex and its affiliate Pemex-Refinacion (PREF) have filed a lawsuit in New York seeking to recover nearly $160 million from German multinational Siemens and South Korea's SK Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. (SKEC) in a global bribery case.

WEC Plans New South Texas Refinery
(Monday, May 20, 2013) Worldwide Energy Consortium, Inc. (WEC) announced Monday that it will begin the initial engineering/permitting phase for its new refinery located near Gardendale in La Salle County Texas.

Tesoro Says FTC Clears Deal for BP Refinery
(Friday, May 17, 2013) The U.S. Federal Trade Commission will allow Tesoro Corp. to go through with its plans to buy a BP Plc. owned refinery in southern California, bringing the two companies one step closer to sealing the deal sometime this quarter.

USW Members Ratify ExxonMobil Baytown Contracts
(Thursday, May 16, 2013) United Steelworkers (USW) local 13-2001 members Wednesday night ratified three separate agreements with ExxonMobil Baytown for the operations, maintenance and laboratory groups.

Venezuela Became Net Gasoline Importer in 2012
(Thursday, May 16, 2013) Venezuela in 2012 became a net importer of gasoline as a result of escalating problems at its refineries and increasing demand for fuel in its internal market.

Oman Forced to Import Fuels after Refinery Shutdown
(Thursday, May 16, 2013) Oman, a crude oil exporter, started importing refined fuels earlier this year, the head of Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (ORPIC) said, after a two-month shutdown of its biggest refinery.

Interfax: Gunvor Paid $158MM for Two Petroplus Refineries
(Thursday, May 16, 2013) Gunvor shelled out $158 million for two oil refineries with capacity of 10 million tonnes a year that were on the verge of bankruptcy from Swiss company Petroplus, according to a Gunvor prospectus that has been made available to Interfax.

Brazil Petrobras: Order Could Halt Construction of Comperj Refinery
(Wednesday, May 15, 2013) Petrobras said late Tuesday that it had been notified of a court order suspending environmental licenses for its Comperj refinery project in Rio de Janeiro state.

Oxford Catalysts Group Accelerates Gas-To-Liquid Commercialization
(Wednesday, May 15, 2013) Oxford Catalysts Group plans to accelerate the commercial development of its scaleable modular GTL plants, which includes opening an office in Houston as a "shop front" for potential customers and hiring new staff, its CEO said Wednesday.

Vietnamese President Okays Construction of Second Refinery Amid Criticism
(Wednesday, May 15, 2013) Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has given in principle agreement to the construction of a large petroleum refinery, to be built by Thai oil and gas company PTT, in the Vietnamese special economic zone of Nhon Hoi, in Binh Dinh province.

API: EPA Is Rushing Through New Gasoline-Emission Rules
(Wednesday, May 15, 2013) The American Petroleum Institute ([1]API) May 7 said that the US Environmental Protection Agency ([2]EPA) is rushing through the process to establish stricter standards on automobile emissions and sulphur content in gasoline.

Abu Dhabi Will Be Home to New FCC Catalysts Manufacturing Plant
(Wednesday, May 15, 2013) W. R. Grace & Co. and Al Dahra Agriculture have executed a Joint Venture agreement to build the first fluid catalytic cracking /FCC/ catalysts manufacturing facility in the Middle East.

IEA Sees Jump of 3.6M B/D in Global Refinery Runs from April to August
(Tuesday, May 14, 2013) The oil market is undergoing a positive "supply shock" as production in North America continues to grow at a record pace and refining capacity is expected to outpace demand in high-growth emerging markets, IEA said Tuesday.

Ambassador: SOCAR in Talks with Indonesia on Refinery Project
(Tuesday, May 14, 2013) Azerbaijan is in negotiations with Indonesia on a large oil refinery project, Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Indonesia Tamerlan Karayev told the Jakarta Post.

Tribes Break Ground on N.D. Refinery
(Tuesday, May 14, 2013) The Three Affiliated Tribes have broken ground for a $450 million oil refinery on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in northwestern North Dakota.

Wison to Supply Components for Venezuela Deep Conversion Project
(Monday, May 13, 2013) Wison Offshore & Marine Ltd., a subsidiary of the Wison Group, announced Monday the award of a contract to supply key modularized components for a major refinery project in Venezuela.

Sunoco Logistics Partners Acquire Marcus Hook Refinery
(Monday, May 13, 2013) Pipeline and terminal company Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P. has announced the acquisition of the Marcus Hook Refinery, located on the banks of the Delaware River just south of Philadelphia, for $60 million.