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Americas

Delta Air to lose money on Trainer refinery in Q4, but future savings expected

The airline attributes the loss during the quarter to Superstorm Sandy, which battered the US East Coast in September. The storm hit just after Delta restarted its 175,000 bpd refinery in Pennsylvania after spending the summer on maintenance work to maximize jet-fuel production.

US ethylene industry to expand 35% by 2017

HP Editorial Staff: HP News

The ongoing shale gas revolution is boosting prospects for the US ethylene sector, which could raise its capacity by more than a third by 2017, according to a new report. Strong ethane production has helped to lower prices and made the US petrochemicals industry more competitive.

ExxonMobil sees North America becoming net oil, gas exporter by 2025

The closely watched annual forecast of energy trends, set to be released Tuesday, concludes the growth of US and Canadian oil and gas production has staying power and could lead to more international shipments of oil and gas, said Exxon's vice president of corporate strategic planning, who led the study.

EIA lowers 2012 forecast for US crude oil prices

Spot prices for West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, will average $88.51/bbl in the fourth quarter, according to the December edition of the US Energy Department's Short-Term Energy Outlook. That's down from the $89.50/bbl that was predicted in November's report.

Natural gas pipeline explosion injures two, destroys homes in West Virginia

The explosion of a NiSource 20-inch transmission line destroyed five homes and severely damaged others in Kanawha County, about 15 miles north of state capital Charleston. The pipeline has been shut off, allowing emergency crews to approach the scene for further investigation.

Sempra seeks US permit to begin building Cameron LNG export facilities

The net benefits of the project outlined in Sempra's FERC application include creating nearly 3,000 direct jobs in the peak construction year and approximately 130 full-time jobs when fully operational. The US will review the application and conduct an environmental study on the proposal.

Mitsubishi to invest in methanol-to-petrochemicals complex in Trinidad

The project will use 100 million standard cubic feet/day of natural gas to produce among other products di- methyl ether (DME), which can be used in Trinidad as a replacement or blending stock for diesel and liquified petroleum gas (LPG). The target date for the first stage of the project is early 2014.

Enbridge to expand light oil pipeline network from North Dakota, Canada

The program is one of several projects the big Calgary, Alberta company and others have unveiled this year to respond to booming North American energy output, particularly in the continental Midwest, where pipeline constraints have led to bottlenecks and lower prices for the region's crude.

Dow disputes US findings in LNG export study

HP Editorial Staff: HP News

Dow Chemical says the recently-released report showing a positive economic impact is flawed, misleading, and based on outdated, inaccurate and incomplete data.

DCP unveils new Eagle Ford shale processing plant

The Goliad plant will have gas processing capacity of 200 million cubic feet/day. It will become part of the DCP Eagle Ford system providing Eagle Ford producers one-stop service from the plant tailgate to Gulf Coast market centers. The Goliad plant is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2014.