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Current Downstream Headlines
Outlook & Insights
Will EPA Punt on BACT for Emitting Sources?
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) The EPA may delegate to states the tough decisions on judging the best technologies to cut greenhouse-gas emissions, adding a new uncertainty for industries.
Tillerson Doubts Viability of NGVs
(Monday, March 15, 2010) Exxon Mobil Corp. chief executive Rex Tillerson, it seems, has not joined the T. Boone Pickens army.
PSM: Learning from the Past to Reduce Risks
(Monday, March 15, 2010) The refining, gas processing, and petrochemical sectors have incurred fewer major property damage losses globally over the past five years.
OPINION: In Energy, Let's Not Deny What We Agree On
(Friday, March 12, 2010) James Mulva drew a hearty round of applause when he threw out the term "hydrocarbon deniers."
Study Sees Efficiency As Key To Meeting Energy Needs
(Friday, March 12, 2010) The big buzz at the CERAWeek conference may be natural gas, but a new study says it's time to light a fire under energy efficiency to meet future energy demands.
Refining
API: Feb. Gasoline Demand, Production Hit Record Levels
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) Both U.S. gasoline production and gasoline demand reached all-time highs for a February, according to API's Monthly Statistical Report, which reflects data from February 2010.
Federal Judge Guts Punitive Damage Award Against BP
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) A federal judge in Houston on Tuesday shot down a mammoth $100 million December verdict against BP's Texas City refinery, cutting the award to less than half a million.
Chinese Refinery Utilization To Stay In 80% Territory - Analysts
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) The operating rate at Chinese domestic oil refineries will remain at around 80 percent for some time in the future, estimate analysts with C1 Energy.
Calif. High Court Faults Air District Over ULSD Project Review
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) The state Supreme Court sided with environmentalists and labor groups this week in a long-running dispute over a project at Wilmington's ConocoPhillips refinery.
Shell To Trim Refining Capacity, Exit Retail Markets
(Tuesday, March 16, 2010) Royal Dutch Shell plc on Tuesday announced updates to its strategy, including plans to reduce its worldwide refining capacity by 15% and exit 35% of its current retail markets.
Biofuels
ConocoPhillips, Penn State Seek Entries for 2010 Energy Prize
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) ConocoPhillips and Penn State University on Wednesday launched the 2010 ConocoPhillips Energy Prize, a competition that recognizes original and actionable solutions that can help improve the way the United States develops and uses energy.
Calif. Biodiesel Refinery Is A Community Effort
(Tuesday, March 16, 2010) If you've got some used oil or cooking grease to dispose of, want to help the environment, or both, a new biofuel refinery wants to hear from you.
Ethanol Plant To Sequester CO2 Emissions
(Monday, March 15, 2010) The operators of the Bonanza Energy ethanol plant in Garden City say they are working with a Texas oil company to bury gas emissions that aid in the extraction of oil in aging wells, and that the process could start as soon as next year.
Coalition Requests Second Comment Period for Mid-Level Ethanol Blends
(Monday, March 15, 2010) NPRA and 40 other associations have asked the EPA to base any decision allowing the introduction of mid-level ethanol blends into the nation's fuel supply on a complete scientific record.
American Jianye Builds Clean Fuels Plant In NE China
(Friday, March 12, 2010) Heilongjiang New Clean Fuels Co., Ltd has opened an office and is completing the construction of a new clean fuels production plant in the North Industrial Area, Liaoning Province, Tieling City, China.
Petrochemical
Sasol Awards Foster Wheeler Contract for Wax Expansion Project
(Tuesday, March 16, 2010) Foster Wheeler AG announced Tuesday that its Global Engineering and Construction Group has been awarded an EPCm contract by Sasol for its Fischer-Tropsch Wax Expansion Project to be located at Sasolburg, South Africa.
L&T Wins Aromatics Complex Order from OMPL
(Monday, March 15, 2010) Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) has secured a major order valued at Rs. 2035 Crores from ONGC Mangalore Petrochemicals Ltd (OMPL), for an Aromatics Complex, to be set up at the Mangalore SEZ.
EPA Makes TSCA Inventory Freely Available on the Web
(Monday, March 15, 2010) For the first time, EPA is providing web access, free of charge, to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Substance Inventory.
Dow Declares Force Majeure for Phenol In Americas
(Friday, March 12, 2010) The Dow Chemical Co. announced Friday that it has declared force majeure for phenol in the Americas due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control.
Governors Ask Congress to Stop GHG Rules
(Thursday, March 11, 2010) Governors of 18 U.S. states on Wednesday urged Congress to stop "harmful" Environmental Protection Agency regulation of greenhouse-gas emissions, saying the agency isn't equipped to deal with "the very real potential for economic harm."
Pipelines
UAE Oil Exports to Skip Hormuz, Iran Threat
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) Contractors are working flat out in the United Arab Emirates to build a giant oil pipeline that will divert up to 1.8 million barrels a day of crude exports away from the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping channel watched over by Iran.
Petrobras Launches Weekly NG Sales To Distributors
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) Petrobras held the 10th electronic natural gas auction Tuesday, offering 22 million cubic meters per day for a period of six months and with deliveries scheduled to begin on April 1.
Pa. PUC Sets April Hearing on Marcellus Pipeline Regulatory Role
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) The state Public Utility Commission wants to clarify its role in regulating natural gas collection and gathering pipelines in the Marcellus Shale region.
Alberta Researchers Investigate Liquid CO2 Highway
(Tuesday, March 16, 2010) A new Alberta research project will explore ways to lessen industry's impact on the environment by compressing captured CO2 into a liquid, pumping it through a pipeline to efficiently transport materials over large distances.
Pipeline Services Exec Is American Success Story
(Tuesday, March 16, 2010) Not everyone who came to America in pursuit of wealth and happiness has a success story to tell. Brian Shannon does. A native of Enniskillen in Northern Ireland, Shannon moved to the United States in 1979 for exactly that reason.
Terminals & Storage
UAE Oil Exports to Skip Hormuz, Iran Threat
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) Contractors are working flat out in the United Arab Emirates to build a giant oil pipeline that will divert up to 1.8 million barrels a day of crude exports away from the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping channel watched over by Iran.
Calif. Gas Station Owner Wins $50M Judgment from Shell
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) The former owner of a Riverside gas station has won a $50 million judgment from one of the world's biggest oil companies because it never told him fuel from the station could leak into underground water sources.
Yemen Boosts Security at Oil Sites, Ports
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) Yemen has stepped up security at oil facilities and sea ports to prevent attacks by al-Qaeda after a series of government strikes in the Arab country targeting the terrorist network, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday.
Alberta Researchers Investigate Liquid CO2 Highway
(Tuesday, March 16, 2010) A new Alberta research project will explore ways to lessen industry's impact on the environment by compressing captured CO2 into a liquid, pumping it through a pipeline to efficiently transport materials over large distances.
Vopak To Double Capacity At Amsterdam Terminal
(Friday, March 12, 2010) Royal Vopak has decided to expand its storage terminal for oil products in the Port of Amsterdam on which construction started in 2009.
LNG / LPG
Danish Utility, Iberdrola Enter LNG Supply Deal
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) Danish state-owned utility Dong Energy said Wednesday that Spanish sector player Iberdrola SA will deliver to it liquefied natural gas (LNG), equal to about 1 billion cu m per year from the end of 2011.
Australia LNG Firms' Shares Rise on Arrow Energy Bid
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) Shares in Australian LNG-focused companies gained ground on Wednesday following bullish forecasts from energy giant Royal Dutch Shell about LNG in the Asia Pacific region.
Proposed Gladstone LNG Takeover Terminates Golar Deals
(Tuesday, March 16, 2010) Golar LNG announced the termination of the various agreements relating to the Gladstone LNG Project as a function of the recent announcement of a conditional takeover proposal of Arrow Energy by Royal Dutch Shell and PetroChina.
Judge Orders Port of Astoria to Renew Oregon LNG Lease
(Monday, March 15, 2010) A federal judge has ordered the Port of Astoria to renew a controversial 30-year lease with the state on a spit of land in Warrenton, Ore.
Southern Union Places Trunkline LNG Project In Service
(Monday, March 15, 2010) Southern Union Co. announced Monday that it recently received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to place its Trunkline LNG Infrastructure Enhancement Project ("IEP") into service.
Commodities
API: Feb. Gasoline Demand, Production Hit Record Levels
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) Both U.S. gasoline production and gasoline demand reached all-time highs for a February, according to API's Monthly Statistical Report, which reflects data from February 2010.
Petrobras Launches Weekly NG Sales To Distributors
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) Petrobras held the 10th electronic natural gas auction Tuesday, offering 22 million cubic meters per day for a period of six months and with deliveries scheduled to begin on April 1.
Indian Govt: No Plans To Market Reliance Gas from KG Basin
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) The Indian government is not considering taking over marketing of natural gas produced by Reliance Industries from its eastern offshore Krishna Godavari basin D6 fields.
NG Price Rallies May Be Thing of the Past - Report
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) "It is an entirely new marketplace for natural gas," says Valerie Wood, President of Energy Solutions, Inc. "History is no longer a valid benchmark for measuring the competitiveness of natural gas prices."
Oil Makes Run for $83 on Rising Demand, OPEC
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) NYMEX crude rallied above $82 a barrel, spurred by an encouraging rise in oil product demand, as well as OPEC's decision to leave output quotas unchanged.
Finance & Acquisition
Statoil To List Energy & Retail Business on Oslo Exchange
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) Statoil's Board of Directors has decided to start a process to list its energy and retail business on the Oslo Stock Exchange.
Eastman To Acquire Plasticizers Producer
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) Eastman Chemical Co. on Wednesday announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Genovique Specialties Corp., a leading global producer of specialty plasticizers, benzoic acid, and sodium benzoate.
Ineos Proposes Senior Debt Prepayment
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) INEOS Group Limited announced Wednesday that it proposes to make a significant prepayment of its Senior Debt through the issuance of new senior secured notes and term loans.
Alon Is Sole Bidder for Big West - Report
(Wednesday, March 17, 2010) The deadline for submitting a bid on Big West refinery reportedly passed Tuesday with no new offers coming in, increasing chances that the U.S. subsidiary of Alon Israel Oil Co. Ltd. will buy the plant.
Shell To Trim Refining Capacity, Exit Retail Markets
(Tuesday, March 16, 2010) Royal Dutch Shell plc on Tuesday announced updates to its strategy, including plans to reduce its worldwide refining capacity by 15% and exit 35% of its current retail markets.
People on the Move
El Paso Promotes Ortenstone, Sult
(Tuesday, March 16, 2010) El Paso Corp. on Tuesday announced two leadership promotions.
Squires To Lead Parsons MENA
(Tuesday, March 16, 2010) Parsons announced that Monday Jeffrey F. Squires has been appointed President, Parsons MENA (Middle East and North Africa).
Albemarle Promotes Kissam To President
(Monday, March 15, 2010) Albemarle Corp. announced Monday that Luke Kissam has been elected President of the company. In this role, Kissam will oversee all aspects of the company's global business and operational activities.
Zumstein To Lead Manufacturing At Albemarle
(Monday, March 15, 2010) Albemarle Corp. has appointed Ronald C. Zumstein as Vice President of Manufacturing, effective immediately.
WorleyParsons Canada Expands Services to NL
(Friday, March 12, 2010) Larry M. Benke, P.Eng, Managing Director, WorleyParsons Canada and its' wholly owned subsidiary INTECSEA Canada announced the expansion of services into Newfoundland and Labrador.
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