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Economics

The illusion of accuracy in analyzing plant failures

Saudi Aramco: Al Muaisub, M.

This article highlights the challenges faced by plant engineers in accurately determining damage mechanisms, discussing three common illusions of accuracy including temperature limits, reliance on single references, and confirmation bias during failure investigations.

Cepsa swings back to profit in 2Q on higher prices, wider refinery margins

Spain's second largest oil company Cepsa said on Monday it returned to profit in the second quarter thanks to higher oil and gas prices, lower costs and wider refining margins.

Petrobras wrapping up due diligence to buy back refinery from Mubadala

Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras is wrapping up due diligence for a bid on the Mataripe refinery it sold to Abu Dhabi sovereign fund Mubadala for $1.65 B in 2021.

Mexico seeks more 2025 fuel import deals after refinery delays

Mexico is seeking to import more motor fuel for next year than it had previously planned, to compensate for delays in the startup of its new Olmeca refinery.

WoodMac: LNG truck sales impacting Chinese road diesel demand

China’s sales of LNG-powered heavy-duty trucks rose from below 10% to reach as much as 30% of the market in the latter months of 2023, resulting in the displacement of over 8% of road diesel demand in the country.

European refiners' golden era draws to end as demand sags

European oil refiners TotalEnergies and Neste warned of further weakness in profit margins amid sagging demand, signaling an end to a brief era of stellar profits that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

German government signs off on hydrogen import strategy

Germany's government adopted a strategy for the import of hydrogen to help secure sustainable energy supply as it embarks on creating fossil fuel alternatives for large parts of its industry.

U.S. refiners' 2Q profits fall on low margins, soft fuel demand

U.S. oil refiners are expected to report sharply lower 2Q earnings from a year ago after a listless summer driving season that weakened refining margins.

India's Reliance gets U.S. nod to import oil from Venezuela

India's Reliance Industries has received approval from the U.S. to resume importing oil from Venezuela despite Washington's sanctions.

Russia considering ban on diesel exports

The Russian government is considering a ban on exports of diesel due to rising domestic prices.