Europe
Finnish oil refiner Neste reports lower profits, shares fall
HELSINKI (Reuters) — Finnish oil refiner and biofuel producer Neste on Thursday reported a drop in second-quarter earnings due to expiry of a US biofuel tax break plus the impact of maintenance stoppages at its conventional refineries.
INEOS Phenol to invest in world-scale cumene unit in Germany
The construction of a new cumene plant will support customer demand improve the security of raw material supply to INEOS phenol and acetone plants located in Gladbeck and Antwerp.
Azerbaijan's oil shipments via Russia jump to 818,664 t in Jan–July
BAKU (Reuters) — Azerbaijan's oil shipments via Russia jumped to 818,664 t in January–July this year from 559,065 t in the same period last year, state oil company SOCAR said on Tuesday.
German ministers and carmakers meet to 'save diesel'
BERLIN (Reuters) — German politicians and car bosses agreed on Wednesday to overhaul engine software on 5.3 MM diesel cars to cut pollution and try to repair the industry's battered reputation.
Boxscore Construction Analysis: The state of the global downstream construction sector
In May, Lee Nichols, Editor and Associate Publisher of <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> and <i>Gas Processing</i>, presented a detailed, year-to-date trend analysis and review on new and active downstream construction projects around the world.
People
Dr. Béla Kelemen has been named President of the European Petroleum Refiners Association for the next 2-yr term.
Global Project Data
<i>Hydrocarbon Processing’s</i> Construction Boxscore Database is tracking nearly 350 downstream projects with capital expenditures (CAPEX) of $1 B or greater.
Business Trends: Ethylene production economics from optional feedstocks
The petrochemicals industry is witnessing enormous growth worldwide. Ethylene is produced by cracking a range of hydrocarbons. Naphtha is the main raw material used in European and Japanese crackers, while the US utilizes ethane as its primary feedstock.
Industry Perspectives: The global reach of Hydrocarbon Processing
Since the beginning of this year, Hydrocarbon Processing has published more than 200 articles and columns. These publications include technical and trends-based articles on the hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI) within the magazine, online, in show dailies, etc.
Global: Russian oil majors eye Western expansion
Amid declining profits in the domestic market, Russia’s national oil company and leading oil producer, Rosneft, is considering expanding in the European Union (EU) and US refining markets.

- 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