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Crude oil

LyondellBasell to close 105,000 bpd France refinery

LyondellBasell will shut down operations at its 105,000 bpd refinery in Berre, France, after failing to find a buyer for the facility. As a result, refinery operator Compagnie Petrochimique de Berre (CPB) will soon begin work on a project to cease refinery operations, the company said.

Axens technology picked for Saudi Aramco refinery

Axens' technologies have been selected by Saudi Aramco for use in its Jazan refinery and terminal project, the company said on Friday. The refinery, scheduled to be commissioned in December 2016, will have a capacity of 400,000 bpd.

US petroleum demand rose slightly in August - API

Total US petroleum deliveries, used to measure demand, rose slightly in August to 19.7 million bpd compared with August a year ago, with demand for gasoline and distillates moving in opposite directions, according to the American Petroleum Institute (API).

Oiltanking, PERN sign JV for Poland liquids terminal

Oiltanking and petroleum logistics firm PERN have signed a joint venture to jointly develop and construct a terminal for the storage and handling of bulk liquids in the Port of Gdansk, Poland. The terminal will potentially be able to store and handle crude oil, refined oil and petrochemical products.

Plains to expand Louisiana crude terminal in 2012

Plains All American Pipeline said it is proceeding with the fourth phase of an expansion at its terminal facility in St. James, Louisiana. This expansion will include construction of an additional 1.2 million bbl of crude oil storage capacity and is targeted to be completed in the third quarter of 2012 at a cost of approximately $50 million.

ExxonMobil plans Texas lubricant base stock plant

ExxonMobil Chemical said it plans to build a world-scale facility for its metallocene polyalphaolefin (mPAO) synthetic lubricant base stocks at its integrated refining and chemical complex in Baytown, Texas. The facility will have the capacity to produce 50,000 tpy of high-viscosity (Hi-Vis) SpectraSyn Elite mPAO.

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).

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.