Americas
OxyChem, Mexichem grant final approval on new Texas ethylene cracker
The two companies will build a 1.2 billion lb/year ethylene cracker at the OxyChem complex in Ingleside, Texas, along with related pipelines and storage at Markham, Texas.
CF to expand US ammonia, urea production plants
CF Industries is constructing new ammonia and urea/UAN plants at its Donaldsonville complex and new ammonia and urea plants at its Port Neal complex. In combination, these two new facilities will be able to produce 2.1 million tpy of gross ammonia and upgraded products such as granular urea.
WGL ’13: Keynote speaker pushes women in energy to innovate
Innovation is key to keeping the energy sector at the forefront of US economic growth, and more of this innovation must come from women, says Amity Shlaes, a project director at the George W. Bush Institute.
REG starts up newly-acquired Iowa biorefinery, plans $20 million upgrade
REG completed the acquisition of the former Soy Energy refinery on July 31. REG immediately began efforts to repair and restart the plant, which began producing biodiesel on October 1. REG also announced that it has begun a $20 million project to upgrade the plant to a multi-feedstock facility.
Air Products to supply hydrogen for North West refinery near Edmonton
The hydrogen supply to North West will come both from the new world-scale plant that Air Products will build in Scotford, Canada, and from Air Products' existing Heartland hydrogen pipeline. The hydrogen supply to North West is expected to begin in 2016, soon after commercialization of the Scotford plant.
US exports of NGLs poised to quadruple by 2020
The Panama Canal expansion, slated for completion in 2015, will allow the transit of large tankers and put costs to ship US gas liquids to Asia on a par with deliveries from the Middle East, according to Sanford C. Bernstein. US exports would jump to 20 million metric tons by 2020 from the current 5 million tons.
Pemex sees 25% increase in petrochemicals with energy reform
Mexico’s state-owned oil and gas company Pemex expects its petrochemical production to rise 25% to 10 million tpy if a sweeping energy policy overhaul is approved.
Honeywell to provide safety controls for Colombia floating LNG liquefaction
Honeywell’s Integrated Control and Safety System (ICSS) solution will manage control and safety operations of the topside and hull and also monitor operational safety during cargo handling. Additionally, closed-circuit television, and fire and gas detectors will be integrated with the system.
ICA Fluor to revamp Mexichem, Pemex VCM plant
ICA Fluor will be responsible for the engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance and commissioning services to bring the VCM facility to its nameplate capacity of 405,000 tpy, up from its current rate of 200,000 tpy. The project is planned to be completed in the 2015 fourth quarter.
Global HPI spending likely to jump 15% in 2014
Newfound optimism stems from rising availability of gas supplies in several nations, rich shale reserves in North America, and a new expansion wave for petrochemicals.

- Shell Aviation, Accenture, and Amex GBT expand Avelia into a multi-supplier SAF solution 7/16
- ORLEN and Krajowa Grupa Spożywcza sign MoU to accelerate biomethane production in Poland 7/16
- New plants, U.S. trade worries to drive China's 2025 naphtha imports to record 7/16
- Blue Water significantly reduces CO2 emissions by switching to HVO in port operations 7/16
- Swire Shipping launches new carbon insetting program – ‘Voyage to Zero’ 7/16
- China's surplus crude oil surges in June, giving refiners options 7/16