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Refining

China demand optimism sets oil on track for strong weekly gain

Oil prices rose on Friday and were on track to gain over 7% on the week due to solid signs of demand growth in top oil importer China and expectations of less aggressive interest rate rises in the United States.

Venezuela earmarks a third oil cargo to Chevron under U.S. license

Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA has assigned a third crude cargo to Chevron Corp under a U.S. authorization that restarted exports to the United States after a nearly four-year pause.

French refinery, metro strikes loom in clash over pension reform

France's CGT trade union called for strikes in the refinery sector against plans to make people work longer before they can retire and Paris metro unions said they would do "everything they can" to stop the pension reform.

Nghi Son refinery to shut for 55 days from August 25 for maintenance

Vietnam's largest refinery, Nghi Son, will be shut down for 55 days starting August 25 for major maintenance.

ExxonMobil sells interest in Esso Thailand

ExxonMobil has reached an agreement with Bangchak Corporation to sell its interest in Esso Thailand that includes the Sriracha Refinery, select distribution terminals, and a network of Esso-branded retail stations.

Crude oil prices forecast to decline beginning in the second half of 2023

In the EIA's January 2023 Short-Term Energy Outlook, it was forecast the Brent crude oil price (the global benchmark) will rise from an average $81 per barrel (b) in December 2022 to average $83/b in the first quarter of 2023.

PetroVietnam 2022 crude oil output flat at 10.84 MMt

PetroVietnam reported crude oil output of 10.84 MMt in 2022, flat from a year earlier and 24% above its official target, Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade said.

Trafigura sells out of Russia-backed Indian refiner Nayara Energy

Trafigura has sold its 24.5% stake in Russia-backed Indian refiner Nayara Energy to a Rome-based energy investment group, following on from a deal on Monday where a group of firms backed by the commodity trading company agreed to buy Lukoil's Italian refinery.

Chevron's first cargo of Venezuelan oil after license departs to U.S.

Chevron Corp's first cargo of Venezuelan crude after a U.S. license received in November has departed from a ship-to-ship transfer hub near Aruba to its Pascagoula, Mississippi refinery.

Vietnam's largest refinery to fix leaking RFCC unit by January 15

Vietnam's largest oil refinery will complete repairs needed to fix a technical problem at its residual fluid catalytic cracking (RFCC) unit by Jan. 15, two refinery sources said on Tuesday.