Americas
US crude rail deliveries hit record high, still rising
Refiners increasingly depend on rail cars to bring in the oil being produced in increasing quantities throughout the US and Canada. Innovations in drilling techniques have allowed oil companies to cull oil from shale formations faster than pipeline companies can connect the wells to market.
Worker found dead at Valero refinery in Oklahoma
Valero said the cause of death is unknown and is under investigation -- there are no signs of any release, "no fire, no explosion, nothing like that". The refinery's emergency response team called an ambulance after the man was found unconscious, and the man was pronounced dead at the hospital.
US court ruling could cut BP's final spill penalty
A judge in New Orleans agreed to a stipulation that could reduce BP's maximum penalty in connection with the Deepwater Horizon accident by as much as $3.5 billion.
BP to fight US government over size of oil spill fine
The company said it believes the US government's estimate that 4.9 million bbl of oil were spilled in the Gulf of Mexico during the incident is overstated by at least 20% and includes another 810,000 bbl of oil that BP captured from the leaking well, so it never made contact with the environment.
EmberClear finishes technical study on Mississippi gas-to-liquids proposal
If the project proceeds, it will be capable of producing 4,000 tpd of methanol or 14,000 bpd of gasoline. This project's proximity to cheaper sources of gas and the Gulf Coast petrochemical hub creates the potential for attractive pricing, efficient access to markets and multiple modes of transportation.
Companies propose 800-mile Alaska gas pipeline
Under the companies' plan, an 800-mile pipeline would be built with the capacity to ship 3 billion to 3.5 billion cubic feet of gas to an area near a port where the gas would be turned into a liquid. The LNG would be stored in tanks and loaded onto tankers from a loading jetty with two berths.
Obama to propose $200mn in energy efficiency funding for US states
The proposed energy-efficiency funding would "support state governments that implement effective policies to cut energy waste," specifically measures such as modernizing utility rules and building codes to encourage efficiency and standardizing financing for energy-efficiency upgrades, the summary said.
Enbridge, partners plan pipeline to ship Canadian, Bakken crude to US Gulf
The companies said the Patoka hub can receive crude oil from both western Canada and North Dakota's Bakken play through a variety of existing pipelines as well as through Enbridge's Southern Access Extension pipeline, which is under development. The pipeline is expected to be in service by 2015.
Foster Wheeler signs technology pact with Shell for global downstream work
Under this agreement, Shell may request Foster Wheeler to provide support in basic engineering packages for the following technologies: distillation, hydrocracking, hydrotreating, thermal conversion, ethylene oxide, pyrolysis gas, fluid catalytic cracking and CANSOLV sulfur dioxide scrubbing.
EDF, Exmar propose floating LNG plants in US
Floating plants could give companies a large head start over many other gas-export projects, which must wait for government approval before building their land-based liquefaction facilities. Even Cheniere Energy won't be done building its export terminal in Sabine Pass, Louisiana, until 2016.
- Utility Global signs first commercial project agreement in South Korea for H2Gen Project in Daejeon 6/10
- ENGIE and European Energy start cooperation on large-scale renewable hydrogen development in Denmark 6/10
- Yokogawa enhances OpreX collaborative information server 6/10
- WinGD powers delivery of world’s first ocean-going ammonia-fueled vessel 6/10
- Higher blending targets drive RIN prices close to record highs 6/10
- Hyundai wins contract to build gas processing plant at Kazakhstan's Karachaganak field 6/10
