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Americas

BP given brunt of blame in final Gulf oil spill report

A final investigation report released by US regulators on Wednesday found BP largely at fault in the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and resulting oil spill in April 2010.

Shell mulls new Louisiana-to-Texas crude pipeline

Shell Pipeline Co. is considering building a new pipeline segment (Westward Ho) to move crude from St. James, Louisiana to the Golden Triangle area of southeast Texas, the company said on Wednesday.

IEA cuts global oil demand outlook, citing economy

Market observers are puzzled over the ‘paradox’ of weakening economic growth and oil demand indicators on one hand and $110/bbl crude on the other, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), which on Tuesday cut forecasts for oil demand growth in 2011 and 2012.

Chevron Phillips, Sumitomo venture to shut down Texas polypropylene unit

Chevron Phillips Chemical (CPChem) has reached an agreement with partner Sumitomo Chemical Co. to permanently shut down polypropylene assets jointly owned by the Phillips Sumika Polypropylene Co. (PSPC) venture in Pasadena, Texas.

Process optimization to grow 9%/yr to 2015 - study

The real-time process optimization and training (RPO) market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 9%/year over the next five years, according to a new study from ARC Advisory Group.

Gevo wins US patents for bio-isobutanol production

Advanced biofuels firm Gevo received two patents from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on technologies that enable the low-cost, high-yield production of bio-based isobutanol.

Sasol plans gas-to-liquids complex in Louisiana

South Africa-based energy and chemicals group Sasol will execute a feasibility study on a proposed gas-to-liquids (GTL) facility in southwest Louisiana. The project is slated to be the first plant in the US to produce GTL transportation fuels and other products, the company said.

Dow to use AspenTech engineering software on petrochemical projects

US software and services provider Aspen Technology (AspenTech) said that Dow Chemical is using its aspenOne engineering software to guide capital-cost decisions on large-scale petrochemicals projects.

Technip buys subsea service firm Global Industries

France-based engineering firm Technip announced a $937 million deal to acquire US-based Global Industries, reinforcing its leadership in the subsea segment of oil services.

Enbridge to twin its Canada oil sands pipeline

Enbridge will twin the southern section of its Athabasca Pipeline from Kirby Lake, Alberta, to the crude oil hub in Hardisty, Alberta, at an estimated cost of approximately $1.2 billion. The twin line will initially add approximately 450,000 bpd of capacity between these points, with low-cost expansion potential to 800,000 bpd, the company said.