Africa
South Africa to decide on new oil refinery this year
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) — South Africa, a net importer of refined oil products, needs a new refinery and the cabinet is expected to make a firm decision later this year on whether to build one, the new energy minister said on Friday.
Nigeria's NNPC finalizing $6 B worth of oil-for-product swaps
LONDON (Reuters) -- Nigeria's state oil company is in the final stage of signing $6 B worth of deals to exchange more than 300,000 bpd of crude oil for imported gasoline and diesel, sources with direct knowledge of the process told Reuters.
Uganda selects firms for refinery talks, ready to sign exploration deals
KAMPALA (Reuters) -- Uganda's energy ministry said on Wednesday it would award three exploration licences next month and also said it had selected two firms with whom it would start negotiations for a possible agreement to develop a planned crude refinery.
Sasol, Linde enter long-term agreement for EPC services
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa/PULLACH, Germany — Sasol South Africa Limited, represented by Group Technology, a division of Sasol South Africa Ltd, has awarded The Linde Group’s Engineering Division a Professional Services Term Agreement for an initial term of two years with an option to extend.
South Africa's Omnia buys lubricants supplier Umongo
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -- South African fertilizer and mining explosives maker Omnia Holdings said on Thursday it had agreed to acquire an oil products and lubricants supplier as part of its strategy to expand its chemical business.
Petrobras includes Texas refinery, African assets in divestment plan
SAO PAULO (Reuters) -- Petróleo Brasileiro SA will include its Pasadena, Texas refinery and its African assets in a divestment plan, the Brazilian state-controlled oil company said in a Wednesday securities filing.
Eni to build crude oil refinery in Nigeria
ABUJA (Reuters) -- Italian oil company Eni plans to build a crude refinery in Nigeria with capacity of 150,000 bpd through its Agip subsidiary, the country's oil minister said on Tuesday.
South African probe finds oil reserves sold, not rotated
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) -- An investigation has found that 10 MMbbl of South African crude oil reserves sold at the end of 2015 was a straight sale and not part of stock rotation, as previously stated, Energy Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said on Tuesday.
Equipment critical analysis: The need for an effective maintenance program
Oil refineries and large petrochemical plants contain thousands of pieces of process and utilities equipment that are subject to wear, erosion, deterioration, aging, etc., resulting in increasing breakdowns and outages. Imagine being a maintenance engineer and receiving 50 work orders during an overhaul with a limited budget, time, labor, spare parts, tools, machines, etc. How does that engineer prioritize the work?
Automation Strategies: Adopting the IIoT: How the industry needs to rethink IT and OT relationships
For the connected enterprise, what was once just a futuristic ideal is now becoming a reality. Step by step, organizations are beginning to put together the pieces of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

- Vioneo awards Lummus polypropylene contract for world's first industrial scale fossil-free plastics from green methanol facility 8/19
- Research: Developing an energy-saving, carbon-capturing method for making ethylene glycol 8/19
- Emerson announced the release of its new Rosemount 3144S temperature transmitter 8/19
- Chinese refiners sweep up Russian oil after Indian demand falls 8/19
- Indonesia plans quick-to-build oil refineries for U.S. crude 8/19
- Russia's ultra low-sulfur diesel exports from Primorsk scheduled to rise in August 8/19