Americas
Praxair starts operations at new hydrogen plant to supply US Gulf refiners
The new plant houses the largest steam methane reformer (SMR) built by Praxair to date. It will supply hydrogen and up to 450,000 lb/hour of steam to Valero’s new 57,000 bpd hydrocracker.
US shale boom threatens Australian gas sector
Big LNG importers like Korea Gas and Japan's Osaka Gas have signed deals with US terminals, diversifying supply sources that had relied on Australia and the Middle East.
Petrovietnam to provide Ecuador with diesel oil
Petrovietam won a contract to supply Ecuador with 2.16 million bbl of diesel oil, state-run company Petroecuador confirmed. Nine cargoes of 240,000 bbl each are scheduled to arrive next month.
DuPont seeks joint ventures on cellulosic ethanol
Chemical giant DuPont is seeking partners for joint ventures in the production of cellulosic ethanol as well as licensing related technology. Licensing agreements would include equipment and DuPont's plant design, and DuPont says it would supply the enzymes needed to produce the fuel.
US monthly oil demand plummets to 16-year low as gasoline use drops
Demand for gasoline, the most widely used petroleum product in the world's biggest oil consumer, fell 1.9% from a year earlier to a 12-year June low of 8.865 million bpd, according to the API. Second-quarter gasoline use was 2% lower than in the same period in 2012, at 8.775 million bpd.
Asian diesel exports to Latin America likely to slow amid new refineries
"Upcoming refinery additions will reduce the region's distillate import requirement," ESAI Energy said in a statement this week. "Crude distillation unit, or CDU, capacity additions of 550,000 barrels a day in the region between 2014 and 2016 will offset higher demand," ESAI said.
Quebec oil train crash blamed on weak brake force
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the country's main investigator of rail accidents, said that its initial investigation has determined that the amount of braking force applied to the train that was left outside Lac-Megantic was insufficient on the specific grade where the locomotive was parked.
Pipeline safety officials in California call for stiffer punishment of PG&E
The penalty case stems from the September 2010 explosion of a high-pressure natural-gas pipeline owned by Pacific Gas and Electric Co, which cut through a residential neighborhood in San Bruno. The rupture caused a massive fireball that killed eight people and injured 58 others.
Sasol names engineering, technology providers for new ethane cracker
The upcoming project in Westlake, Louisiana, should start up in 2017, with expected production of 1.5 million tpy of ethylene along with several downstream derivative plants.
Linde, Sapphire Energy to develop algae-to-crude process technology
Together, the companies will refine the hydrothermal treatment process developed and operated today by Sapphire Energy at pilot scale. In addition, they will jointly license and market the technology into an expanded list of industries, including algae, municipal solid waste and farm waste.
- Shell, CNOOC take FID on 1.6-MMtpy petrochemical complex expansion in China 1/15
- Plug Power seals huge deal with Allied Green Ammonia for 3-GW electrolyzer system 1/15
- Russian oil products trapped at sea by U.S. sanctions 1/15
- California (U.S.) withdraws clean truck EPA waiver request ahead of Trump inauguration 1/15
- Amazon orders 200 new electric heavy trucks from Daimler for Germany, UK 1/15
- Colonial Pipeline shuts main gasoline artery after potential gasoline spill 1/15
