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GE inks over $800m in Brazil turbine supply deals

GE said it has secured more than $800 million in commitments to supply wind and gas turbines for projects in Brazil that will produce 1.4 gigawatts of electricity – 40% of the total amount awarded in energy auctions conducted recently by Brazil’s National Electric Power Agency.

Strategic buyers lead chemical M&A revival - report

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in the global chemicals industry surged following the recession, driven by interest from strategic buyers in the specialty chemical sector, according to a report issued Wednesday from Fitch Ratings.

Williams to expand Louisiana ethylene plant by 44%

Williams will expand its olefins production facility in Geismar, Louisiana, the company announced on Tuesday. The expansion will increase the facility's ethylene production by 600 million pounds/year to a new annual capacity of 1.95 billion pounds. It is expected to be completed the third quarter of 2013.

Technip wins Brazil fertilizer plant engineering deal

Technip was awarded a contract for providing basic and front-end engineering services on Petrobras’ grassroots fertilizer complex to be located at Uberaba, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The deal was awarded within the framework of a cooperation partnership with Haldor Topsoe, Technip officials said.

EIA sees $125/bbl oil in 2035 amid rising demand from China, India

Global oil prices are likely to remain high, but oil consumption should continue to grow, with both conventional and unconventional liquids used to meet rising demand, according to the International Energy Outlook (IEO2011) study released Monday by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Linde expands nitrogen, oxygen plant in Oregon

US-based gases firm Linde has expanded the capacity of its plant in Hillsboro, Oregon, to supply ultra-high purity (UHP) gaseous nitrogen and oxygen to semiconductor manufacturers in the Pacific Northwest.

Berkshire Hathaway closes on $9.7bn Lubrizol deal

Berkshire Hathaway has officially completed its acquisition of US-based specialty chemicals firm Lubrizol for $135/ share in an all-cash transaction. The transaction, having been overwhelmingly approved by Lubrizol shareholders and having met all US and non-US regulatory filing requirements, is valued at approximately $9.7 billion, including approximately $0.7 billion in net debt.

Butamax disputes Gevo bio-isobutanol patent suit

Butamax Advanced Biofuels is disputing allegations of patent infringement on bio-based isobutanol from rival producer Gevo. “Gevo’s lawsuit against Butamax is baseless and irresponsible” said Paul Beckwith, CEO of Butamax. “When Butamax makes isobutanol, we do not use the technology claimed in the Gevo patents.

Huntsman plots expansion for US epoxy resins

US-based chemicals major Huntsman has begun initial plans to expand its epoxy resins product lines by launching a multi-million dollar engineering study at its facility in McIntosh, Alabama.

GE sees rising gas turbine sales in North America

GE has received more than $1 billion in orders for heavy duty and aeroderivative gas turbines for projects throughout North America in 2011, underscoring a growing trend to use abundant, cleaner-burning natural gas for power generation. That figure is up more than 10% from 2010, the company said.