Asia/Pacific
LPG subsidy burden climbs as Indonesia considers price hike
JAKARTA (Reuters) — The cost of Indonesia's subsidy on LPG is increasing, leading to the country paying at least half of the cost of the fuel, said an official from state-owned energy company Pertamina on Tuesday.
Blast at China petrochemical plant kills eight, injures nine
SHANGHAI (Reuters) — An explosion rocked a petrochemical plant in China's eastern province of Shandong on Monday, killing eight people and injuring nine, state media and local government officials said.
China "teapot" oil group urges compliance on quotas, tax
BEIJING (Reuters) — An alliance of more than 20 of China's independent oil refineries has urged its members to strictly adhere to government rules on oil quotas and taxes, according to a group statement seen by Reuters on Tuesday.
Platts restricts Qatari-loading crude in pricing process
SINGAPORE/LONDON (Reuters) — Oil pricing agency S&P Global Platts said it will not automatically include Qatari-loading crude in its Middle East benchmark after Saudi Arabia and some other Arab states cut ties with Doha, a move that disrupted traditional shipping routes.
Global Project Data
<i>Hydrocarbon Processing’s</i> Construction Boxscore Database is tracking more than 1,700 active downstream projects around the world.
Industry Metrics
US gasoline demand increased with the shift to summer fuels and higher export opportunities to Latin America.
Industry Perspectives: The digitalization of the downstream industry
The digitalization of the hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI) is in full swing. Numerous companies have created, and are optimizing, digital technologies to improve plant operations, increase energy efficiency and lower costs.
Digital: Transitioning from the spreadsheet to the Cloud
The Industrial Internet of Things is expected to create a $225-B market by 2020, opening new opportunities for industrial organizations related to data and asset management.
Editorial Comment: Optimizing our message to the oil and gas industry
The pages of <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> contain numerous case studies, techniques, advice and step-by-step approaches to optimizing downstream operations. These elements have been the focus of the magazine for the last 95 yr.
Use of neural networks for naphtha feed characterization in a cracker plant
Olefins are major building blocks for petrochemicals. Due to their reactivity and versatility, there has been tremendous growth in the demand for olefins, especially for light olefins such as ethylene, propylene, butenes and 1,3-butadiene, etc.

- CNOOC completes construction on $2.9-B, 1.8-MMtpy integrated complex in east China 8/22
- bp's Whiting refinery (U.S.) continues to flare days after severe thunderstorm 8/22
- Bachmann introduces latest version M-Target for Simulink 8/22
- U.S. to rule on biofuel waivers, but big oil refiners may need to wait 8/22
- Chinese independent refiner Hongrun buys Canadian, Brazilian crude 8/22
- Ukrainian attack suspends Russian oil flows to Hungary, Slovakia 8/22