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Crude oil

Repsol shuts FCC unit at Petronor refinery in Spain amid poor margins

Repsol has shut the FCC unit at its 220,000 bpd Petronor refinery in Spain because of dismal refining margins in Europe, Petronor said in a statement. Repsol's Petronor refinery is in the Somorrostro valley, 20 kilometers from Bilbao in northern Spain.

Calumet buys US synthetic lubes unit from Ashland

Calumet Specialty Products completed its previously-announced purchase of the Hercules aviation and refrigerant lubricants business, the polyol/ester-based synlubes subsidiary of Ashland. The Hercules business was previously in Ashland’s water technologies segment.

HollyFrontier plans 45% expansion for Utah refinery

US-based refiner HollyFrontier says it will expand capacity by 45% at its 31,000 bpd refinery in Woods Cross, Utah, raising capacity to 45,000 bpd by the expected completion in late 2014. The company expects incremental yields from the expansion project to be approximately 60% gasoline and 40% diesel, with expansion costs approximately $225 million.

KBR awarded construction deal on ExxonMobil lube base stock plant in Texas

KBR said Thursday it was awarded a construction contract for ExxonMobil’s new synthetics lubricant base stock facility to be built at ExxonMobil’s refinery and chemical plant complex in Baytown, Texas. The award came from Technip USA, the prime contractor responsible for EPC on the project.

Enterprise, Genesis team up for new Gulf pipeline

Enterprise Products Partners and Genesis Energy plan to build a crude oil gathering pipeline in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico for a consortium of six producers. Enterprise will serve as construction manager and operator of the new pipeline, earning fees for both services.

Republicans pressure Obama for Keystone XL pipeline decision

HP Editorial Staff: HP News

Republicans are tightening the screws on US President Barack Obama, seeking to force a decision regarding the controversial oil pipeline.

EU agrees in principle to oil embargo on Iran

European Union member states agreed in principle to press ahead with an oil embargo on Iran over its nuclear program, diplomats said Wednesday, in a move that pushed oil prices higher. An oil embargo would be the latest step in international efforts to isolate Tehran economically over concerns Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons.

Enterprise to build ethane pipeline from Appalachia to US Gulf

Enterprise plans to move ahead with a planned 1,230-mile pipeline to deliver growing ethane production from the Marcellus and Utica shale regions to the US Gulf coast. The pipeline will begin in Pennsylvania with 595 miles of new pipeline extending to Missouri, where Enterprise plans to reverse an existing pipeline and place it in ethane service.

Venezuela seen getting off 'lightly' in $908 million ExxonMobil settlement

An international arbitration panel awarded US oil major ExxonMobil $908 million in a verdict over oil assets nationalized by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in 2007. The payout is substantially lower than the $7 billion that Exxon was seeking in restitution.

HP Construction: Middle East

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Meche, Helen

Tecnimont S.p.A., the main operating company of Maire Tecnimont S.p.A., has an engineering procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) contract on a lump-sum turnkey basis for a new fertilizers..