Environment & Safety Gas Processing/LNG Maintenance & Reliability Petrochemicals Process Control Process Optimization Project Management Refining

Americas

Mexico's Pemex says can restart Salina Cruz refinery operations

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) — Mexico's state-owned oil firm Pemex said on Tuesday on Twitter that conditions are present to safely restart operations at its Salina Cruz refinery in the southern state of Oaxaca.

Emerson, Aramco sign agreement to collaborate on digital transformation

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Emerson signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudi Aramco during the recently held Saudi-US CEO Forum in Riyadh. The agreement signed by David N. Farr, Emerson’s chairman and chief executive officer and Amin H. Nasser, Saudi Aramco President and CEO, will help bring advanced digitization and automation technologies to one of the leading energy and chemicals companies.

BASF to divest its oleochemical surfactants business in Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Mexico — BASF Mexicana, S.A. DE C.V. has entered an agreement to sell a portion of the oleochemical surfactants business in Mexico to the Stepan Company for an undisclosed price. The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2017, subject to applicable regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of certain other requirements.

Mexico's Pemex fined $20 MM for anti-competitive fuel practices

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) — Mexico's antitrust watchdog has fined a division of state-owned oil company Pemex for failing to establish a competitive fuel market, the agency said on Monday.

GE wins US antitrust approval for Baker Hughes deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — General Electric Co won US antitrust approval to merge its oil and gas business with Baker Hughes Inc to form a new publicly traded company, the Justice Department said on Monday.

IHS Markit: Methanol demand growth driven by methanol-to-olefins, China demand

HOUSTON — Methanol, a basic chemical used to produce fuels and other traditional chemicals, is increasingly used in China to produce olefins in a process called methanol-to-olefins (MTO). By 2021, nearly one in five tons of global methanol production will be utilized for MTO production to satisfy expanding Chinese chemical demand, according to new analysis from IHS Markit.

Judge throws out fines against Tesoro for deadly refinery blast

HOUSTON (Reuters) — A Washington state administrative judge threw out $2.4 MM in fines levied against refiner Tesoro Corp for a 2010 explosion that claimed the lives of seven workers at the company's Anacortes, Washington, refinery.

Monroe Energy: BP violated contract when it blended Texas crude

NEW YORK (Reuters) — BP PLC violated its supply contract when it sold oil to refiner Monroe Energy that was a blend of lower-valued Texas crude with premium varieties, Monroe alleged in a federal court filing last week.

MCAA Market Forecast projects instrumentation, automation industry to be $14 B by 2021

POQUOSON, VA — The 2016 Process Instrumentation and Automation market in the United States, valued at $11.7 B, is projected to grow 3.6% by 2021 to a total of $14 B.

Honeywell to acquire industrial cyber security software leader Nextnine

MORRIS PLAINS, N.J. — Honeywell announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Nextnine, a privately held provider of security management solutions and technologies for industrial cyber security.