Environment & Safety
Petrobras halts some Reduc refinery ops after fire
Brazilian state-controlled oil producer Petroleo Brasileiro, or Petrobras, said it halted operations at a distilling unit at its Duque de Caxias, or Reduc, oil refinery in Rio de Janeiro state Monday due to a small fire. The incident won't cause any shortfall in products output.
Total Safety acquires Belgium downstream group Z-Safety Services
Integrated safety services firm Total Safety has acquired Z-Safety Services, a European leader for mission-critical safety services and equipment to the downstream energy and petrochemical markets based in Dilsen, Belgium. With the deal, Total Safety dramatically expands its European footprint and its ability to serve the safety needs of its client partners, it said.
SunPower strikes $165mn deal for Total solar unit
SunPower Corp. agreed to acquire a Total solar energy unit for $165.4 million in a deal that will expand the solar-panel company's presence in large-scale projects. Sunpower will pay $165.4 million for Total's Tenesol business and Total, its biggest shareholder, has agreed to acquire an additional 18.6 million SunPower shares in a private placement for $8.80 each.
BP shutting solar unit as industry struggles
BP will exit the solar panel business in a move that will affect about 100 employees, according to reports. BP said the solar business, which has been flooded by excess supply from China, has become commoditized.
US Republicans seek to sideline EPA in overseeing offshore drilling
House Republicans are trying to sideline the role of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in overseeing offshore oil drilling, after Royal Dutch Shell complained about the amount of time it is taking the company to secure air-quality permits for drilling in the Arctic Ocean.
Cameron to pay BP $250mn in Gulf spill settlement
BP on Friday reached agreement with Cameron International Corp., the designer and manufacturer of the Deepwater Horizon blowout preventer, to settle all claims between the companies related to the Deepwater Horizon accident and spill. Cameron will pay BP $250 million
Coca-Cola plans to have 100% plant-based bottle
Coca-Cola expects to have a plastic bottle made entirely from plant-based materials ready for commercial use in the next few years as it looks to reduce its reliance on petroleum used in traditional plastic bottles. Coca-Cola believes it can have the plant-based bottle developed by 2015 so that, by 2020, all of its plastic bottles can be using the new material.
Chevron committed to staying in Brazil despite spill
Chevron is "committed" to stay in Brazil for the long term and hopes to "move ahead" after an oil spill in early November that led to intense scrutiny of the oil company from local authorities and regulators. Chevron says it is very proud of its response on the Nov. 7 oil spill because the company's sweeping reaction resulted in no environmental impact from the spill.
BP oil spill report calls for single policing agency
A single governmental agency should be used to insure offshore drilling safety in order to avoid disasters like the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, a national research group said Wednesday. The recommendation could end up flying in the face of what the industry thinks it needs to regulate itself, though officials from the American Petroleum Institute had yet to comment directly on the suggestion.
Jacobs awarded work on CO2 capture project at Gassnova refinery in Norway
Jacobs Engineering Group was awarded a framework contract from Gassnova SF for its CO2 Capture Mongstad (CCM) project at its Mongstad refinery site in Norway. Jacobs is providing engineering and technical assistance services to support the installation of a large-scale carbon dioxide (CO2) capture plant for a combined heat and power (CHP) plant at the refinery.
- KBR to provide technology for mega-scale ammonia plant in Angola 11/25
- Indian refiners' October crude processing up over 3% y/y 11/25
- Air Liquide strengthens partnership with TotalEnergies through renewable H2 project in France 11/25
- Hexagon collaborates with Microsoft to enhance industrial operations 11/25
- China issues extra crude oil import quota to teapot refineries 11/25
- McDermott achieves ISO 50001 Certification for energy management at four fabrication yards 11/25
