Americas
Explosion kills one at Air Liquide gas plant in Texas
The explosion occurred close to 7:40 a.m. on Saturday morning, according to the company, whose US operations are headquartered in Houston. About 20 people were working at the facility on Saturday. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and one worker is still in critical condition.
Freeport LNG inks 20-year export contract with BP
Now that Freeport has secured customers for the entirety of its two planned liquefaction segments, the company expects to gain the financing to build them as soon as the company receives the necessary government permits, Freeport LNG chief executive Michael Smith said.
Chevron begins Canadian partnership with Apache on Kitimat LNG exports
After a brief transition period, Chevron will assume operatorship of the LNG plant and the pipeline. Apache Canada increased its ownership in the LNG plant and pipeline from 40% and will operate the upstream assets. Encana and EOG Resources sold their interests and exited the venture.
TPC Group begins engineering work to expand US polyisobutylene capacity
TPC Group first entered the market in May 2000 with the startup of its patented PIB process. Since that time, the company has grown significantly through multiple expansions to become the largest producer in North America. TPC supplies the market from its Houston production facility.
Calumet, WBI Energy form venture to build North Dakota diesel refinery
The facility will process 20,000 bpd of Bakken crude oil. Construction could begin this spring, and is expected to take up to 20 months. The plant will be located on a 318-acre site located west of Dickinson in Stark County, North Dakota. It will employ approximately 100 people, according to the companies.
Tesoro targets more Canadian crude oil for US West Coast refineries
Tesoro has been aggressive in expanding its crude-oil sources to bring down costs at its refineries along the West Coast, home to the vast majority of its operations. Tesoro and other US refiners have been steadily increasing their use of a domestic oil supply, bolstered by recent advances in drilling technology.
Canada concerned by cheap Alberta crude prices
There has typically been a slight discount, of roughly $10 to $20 a barrel, on the price of Western Canadian Select oil compared to the benchmark West Texas Intermediate blend. But that discount has widened to nearly $40, economists say, and they warn it could balloon further due to pipeline capacity constraints.
US investigation blames lax safety culture for fatal Carbide chemical blast
The explosion resulted from a failure by the company to investigate similar but smaller explosive incidents over many years while deferring crucial maintenance of the large electric arc furnace that blew up, according to the CSB. Two workers inside died within 24 hours from severe burn injuries.
Japan's Tepco seeks to import gas from Cameron LNG project in Louisiana
Buying US gas would allow Tepco to diversify its sources of LNG and to tie the price of part of the natural gas it consumes to US prices, which are seen as more stable than the oil price benchmark most LNG trades at. Currently, Tepco buys most of its LNG from Brunei, Malaysia and other countries.
Solazyme, Mitsui to jointly develop triglyceride oils
The $20 million, multi-year agreement includes further development of Solazyme’s breakthrough high myristic algal oil, a valuable raw material in the oleochemical industry, as well as additional oils that Solazyme is developing for the oleochemical and industrial sectors, according to the companies.
- U.S. firms to develop Syria energy masterplan after Trump lifts sanctions 7/18
- Russian seaborne diesel exports for July 1–15 fall 6% month-on-month 7/18
- INEOS invests £30 MM to slash emissions at Hull site by 75% 7/18
- Mitsubishi Chemical Group invests in Licella Holdings, oil conversion technology using supercritical water 7/18
- BASF and Equinor sign 10-yr natural gas supply agreement 7/18
- Oil prices rise after new EU sanctions on Russia 7/18
