Europe
Chevron Phillips Chemical closes deal for Neste Oil polyalphaolefin plant in Belgium
Chevron Phillips Chemical has successfully completed the acquisition of a polyalphaolefin (PAO) plant located in Beringen, Belgium from Neste Oil. The deal was first announced in September.
EU imposes new Iran sanctions, but no oil embargo
European Union foreign ministers agreed Thursday to impose new sanctions on additional Iranian entities, but a French proposal for a blanket embargo on Iranian oil exports met significant resistance. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said an oil embargo was still "being debated" and diplomats said some restrictions on Iran oil imports were likely to be imposed in the coming months.
UOP forms alliance with Netherlands’ Twister for natural gas treatment technology
Honeywell’s UOP said Wednesday that it plans to expand its portfolio of natural gas treatment technologies through an exclusive marketing alliance with the Netherlands-based Twister B.V. UOP has also acquired a minority position in Twister B.V., the company said.
Norway agency sees "very serious shortcomings" in BP safety
BP’s efforts to monitor and respond to sudden pollution releases such as oil spills in the Norwegian Sea suffer from "very serious shortcomings" that demand immediate improvement, Norwegian regulators said. The report is the latest indication of health and safety issues at BP, which was plagued by a massive oil spill in the US Gulf of Mexico in 2010 and by numerous other accidents in recent years.
Developing nations seen making better efforts on climate change - official
Developing countries are making more effort to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions than the developing world and that imbalance is threatening the future of the Kyoto Protocol, Venezuela's climate change representative said Tuesday.
Cereplast inks bioplastic distribution deal in Turkey
Cereplast on Tuesday announced a three-year distribution agreement with GAMA Plastik AS to supply bioplastic resin in Turkey. The country is one of the fastest growing plastics markets in the world and third in terms of market share in Europe behind Germany and Italy.
Jacobs wins engineering pact for France gas work
Jacobs Engineering Group has received a framework contract from Electricite de France (EDF) to provide owner engineering services in support of gas infrastructure projects across Europe. The scope of the framework project consists of infrastructure development for natural gas storage and distribution, including gas pipelines, underground storage facilities and regasification terminals.
US says nations must adhere to CO2 pact
The US said Monday that any future emission reduction accord must equally apply to industrialized countries and the major emerging economies such as China. The US, which isn't a member of the Kyoto Protocol, said it takes climate change seriously but any accord has to have equal application to the US and major emerging economies in order to be passed.
Total to challenge French government decision on shale gas - report
French oil and gas giant Total plans to challenge the French government's decision to cancel its exploration permit for a shale gas field in Montelimar, in the south of France, reported Les Echos Monday. In October the French government canceled exploration permits on shale-gas fields after it said Total maintained its intention to drill the potential fields using hydraulic fracturing, a controversial technique that was banned in the country earlier this year.
Dow, Saudi Aramco finalize Sadara chemical JV; senior officials named
Dow Chemical and Saudi Aramco on Monday announced the official formation of Sadara Chemical Co. (Sadara), a joint venture between the two companies. First production units are expected to come on line in the second half of 2015. All units are expected to be up and running in 2016.
- BASF supports European 1,4‑butanediol supply security through increased production in Ludwigshafen 2/16
- Vitol backs proposed $3-billion LNG power plant for South Africa's Durban port 2/16
- HAMR Energy receives additional funding for low-carbon liquid fuels projects 2/16
- NASCAR names POET official bioethanol partner: Becomes first major motorsports series to utilize zero-carbon bioethanol 2/16
- ExxonMobil starts third advanced plastics recycling unit at Baytown complex 2/16
- Geoinform, subsidiary of the MOL Group, signs strategic cooperation agreement with Baker Hughes 2/16
