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Europe

PKN ORLEN increases crude oil supplies to Czech refinery

​PKN ORLEN signed an annex with Tatneft Europe AG to the agreement for crude oil supplies to Czech refinery in Litvinov that provides the extension of contractual period and increases the possible maximum volume of the crude oil delivered.

McKinsey report forecasts global refining capacity growth to exceed demand until 2020

LONDON, UK -- McKinsey Energy Insights (MEI), the data and analytics specialist that provides distinctive insight and support to the global energy industry, forecasts that until 2020, global refining will move towards lower utilization and margins as capacity growth exceeds demand. Post-2020 market conditions are expected to improve with higher demand for distillates due to marine pollution (MARPOL) regulations.

Outages brighten European refineries' year-end profit prospects

LONDON (Reuters) -- European oil refiners are enjoying healthy profits in the fourth quarter compared with other regions due to unplanned maintenance in the Atlantic basin that has eroded inventories, offsetting typically weaker year-end demand.

Saras shuts down catalytic reforming unit at refinery for failure

(Reuters) -- Italian refiner Saras said that due to a failure, it was necessary to shutdown one of the two Catalytic Reforming units of the Sarroch refinery (the CCR unit), which produces high-octane gasoline blending components, as well as hydrogen to be used in the desulphurisation processes, due to a failure.

EU lawmakers postpone vote on carbon market reform until Dec. 15

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -- A vote by European lawmakers on an overhaul of the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS) will be postponed until Dec. 15 because major parties remain divided over how far the reforms should go, EU sources said on Monday.

thyssenkrupp signs agreement to build new PET production plant in Russia

thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions, a partner for the engineering, construction and service of industrial plants and systems, has signed an agreement with the Russian jointstock company Polyester Plant Ivanovo to build a new PET polymer and staple fibre production plant.

FMC, Technip announce Brazilian antitrust clearance of merger

HOUSTON and PARIS – FMC Technologies, Inc. and Technip today announced that the pending combination between the companies has received a clearance decision issued by the General Superintendent of the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), the Brazilian antitrust authority. The decision is subject to a 15-day waiting period.

Johnson Matthey named in top 10 most admired companies list

Johnson Matthey was named as Britain's Most Admired Chemicals Company for the third year running, and is fifth most admired overall. This year's most admired company is Cambridge based computer chip designer ARM.

Business Trends: Global refining overview—Part 4

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Nichols, Lee

Throughout its overview series of the global refining industry, <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> has provided a look at the state of the refining industry, new project developments, demand outlooks for the refining sector and the move to low-sulfur fuels. The previous sections have taken a detailed look at the refining sectors of Asia-Pacific, North America and South America. This fourth and final installment analyzes major trends in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, and offers data on planned refinery capacity additions, upgrades and grassroots facilities.

Industry Perspectives: New downstream project announcements drop 35% in 2016

According to <i>Hydrocarbon Processing’s</i> Construction Boxscore Database, nearly 470 new projects have been announced in the downstream hydrocarbon processing industry over the past two years. New project announcements have fallen from 285 in 2015 to 185 in 2016. This trend analysis represents a year-over-year decrease of approximately 35%.