Americas
Methanex approves Chile-to-US plant relocation
The Louisiana methanol plant is targeted to be operational by the end of 2014. The expected cost of the project, including all owners' and pre-start up costs, is about $550 million, according to the company.
Air Products to raise LNG heat exchanger capacity with new Florida plant
The new 300,000 square foot LNG manufacturing facility, which will employ approximately 250 employees in a four year ramp-up period, is to be complete and begin operations in late 2013. Air Products says the location's access to port services will facilitate global shipping of the equipment.
Ecuador picks Odebrecht to prepare refinery site
Odebrecht will prepare the construction site for the Refineria del Pacifico, a $13 billion project run by the state oil companies of Venezuela and Ecuador. The refinery, located in the coastal province of Manabi, is scheduled to go on line in 2015 and to reach its complete capacity of 300,000 bpd in 2016.
Bakken crude reaches Louisiana refiners by barge
Kirby Corp. appears to be the first barge operator to use America's famed Mississippi River as a highway for oil from the land-locked Bakken, an oil-rich area in North Dakota. The barges take a week to travel down the Mississippi River to bring the oil to the Baton Rouge, La. area.
US safety board says lapses led to BP oil spill
The CSB said a "robust system of process safety indicators" may have revealed problems that led to the disaster, such as discordant safety controls between BP and Transocean.
US chemical output falls for second straight month
Individual components measured by the index were mixed. Declines in production of plastic resins, fertilizers, adhesives, organic chemicals and pharmaceuticals were offset by gains in the output of inorganic chemicals, industrial gases, consumer products, pesticides, coatings and synthetic rubber.
Offshore drillers focus on wrong safety data, says US chem safety board
Offshore oil and gas drillers put too much emphasis on items such as individual worker injuries while neglecting better indicators of danger, such as the number of near-misses a drilling rig experiences or whether safety equipment are maintained on schedule, according to the CSB's preliminary findings.
Valero shuts Meraux refinery in Louisiana after fire
The exchanger caught fire at about 1:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, according to a report filed with the US National Response Center. All units will remain down while repairs are made to the crude unit and related utilities. Valero did not give a timetable for repairs or a possible restart.
US oil, fuel demand falls amid weak economy - API
Gasoline demand tracked the overall numbers, declining 2.5% for June versus a year ago and 1.0% for the first six months of this year against the same period in 2011, the API said. Distillates, jet fuel, and residual fuel were also down for the first six months, while distillates and residual fuel were down for June.
Enbridge to spend up to $500mn more on Canada pipeline safety features
The company's plan to build an oil pipeline from Alberta to a port in Kitimat, British Columbia, for export overseas faces opposition within the province, including from native groups and environmental organizations. Northern Gateway would ship up to 525,000 bpd and is scheduled for a 2017 startup.
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- ABS approves blue ammonia FPSO concept from SBM Offshore 9/12
- Pakistan's top refiner Cnergyico to boost fuel oil exports as domestic sales plummet 9/12
- E20 fuel safe but curbs vehicle performance, Mahindra executive says 9/12
- Canada may drop oil emissions cap as part of new climate plan 9/12
