Asia/Pacific
Air Products opens west China engineering office
Air Products opened a new office in the Xi'an High Tech Zone of China’s Shaanxi province, part a company strategy to accelerate growth in the region. The new facility - to be built as an engineering office - will provide additional resources to support the company's increasing number of projects in China.
PdVSA to expand El Palito refinery via Japan loans
The Venezuelan government has secured $1 billion in loans from a consortium of Japanese companies, led by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, most of which will go toward expanding the South American country's El Palito refinery. Venezuela has aimed to increase shipments to Asian markets.
UOP lands technology deal on integrated propylene, isobutylene plant in China
The UOP C3 and C4 Oleflex processes have been selected to produce propylene and isobutylene at a new China project from Shandong Chambroad Petrochemicals. UOP will provide engineering design, technology licensing, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, staff training and technical service.
Mitsubishi, Notore form joint venture for ammonia, urea complex in Nigeria
Notore Chemical Industries has signed a joint venture agreement with Japan-based Mitsubishi to develop an ammonia, urea and other petrochemicals plant at its existing facility at Onne, Rivers State, Nigeria. The new plant, built on a brownfield site, is expected to come on-stream in 2016.
Air Products to supply LNG heat exchangers for Ichthys project in Australia
Air Products has signed an agreement with JKC and INPEX, under which it will supply liquefaction technology and main cryogenic heat exchangers for two process trains to produce 8.4 million tpy of LNG. The LNG units will process natural gas from reserves located in the Browse Basin offshore Western Australia.
CNPC to supply natural gas feedstock to Chongqing petrochemical project
CNPC has signed an agreement with the Chongqing government to supply natural gas to be used as feedstock at petrochemical project in the southwest China municipality. The deal was announced during a meeting between CNPC Chairman Jiang Jiemin and Chongqing's new party leader, Zhang Dejiang.
UOP, Ensyn venture wins sustainable biofuel award for conversion technology
Envergent Technologies, a joint venture of UOP and Ensyn, has been given an award in the category of sustainable biofuels for its contributions toward sustainable biopower generation facilities. Envergent’s RTP technology is currently in use in seven commercial biomass processing plants in the US and Canada.
Siemens, Shell seal gas chromatography pact
Under the agreement, Siemens will supply gas chromatographs along with related systems such as analysis cabinets and shelters to numerous Shell global energy projects.
Cabot breaks ground on China carbon black plant
Cabot and joint venture partner Risun Chemicals broke ground Tuesday on a new carbon black manufacturing facility in Xingtai, China. The new plant will have a Phase I manufacturing capacity of 130,000 tpy of carbon black, and will enable Cabot to increase its carbon black output in China by 25%.
India to get first floating LNG terminal by end-2013
French power company GDF Suez, GAIL (India) Ltd. and the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh agreed to set up the South Asian nation's first floating terminal to import liquefied natural gas. India's annual LNG capacity is estimated to reach 50 million tons by 2017 from about 13.5 million tons at present.

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