Europe
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.
Austria minister opposed to shale gas drilling - report
Austrian Environment Minister Nikolaus Berlakovich said he is opposed to shale gas drilling for environmental reasons, the daily Der Standard reported. Berlakovich's sentiment could result in companies like Austria's OMV being denied permission to extract the country's shale gas deposits.
France to stop buying Iranian oil
France will stop buying Iranian oil on a "national basis" as part of its campaign to raise pressure on Iran over its contested nuclear program, the foreign ministry said. France has said it will work with its European Union partners towards broader sanctions against Iran.
Süd-Chemie approves squeeze-out
At a general meeting held by Süd-Chemie AG, Munich, the transfer of all shares held by minority shareholders to the majority shareholder Clariant AG, Muttenz, Switzerland was approved.
IEA urges fix of renewable energy subsidies
Governments offering financial incentives to renewable energy generation technologies must do more work to make this support more cost effective, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday. Problems can be avoided by quickly adapting subsidy policies as technologies evolve and their costs fall, said the agency.
Emir of Qatar inaugurates Pearl GTL Project
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani today officially inaugurated the Pearl Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) Project, the largest GTL plant in the world and the largest energy project in the state of Qatar.
Lukoil boosts fuel quality with new coker
Russia's second-biggest oil firm, Lukoil, recently installed a coking unit at its Volgograd refinery to increase the quality of its fuels.
ABB starts up lube oil blending plant for Petromin
ABB Cellier, a segment of ABB France's Process Automation division, recently launched operations at a new lube oil blending plant for Petromin Corp. in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
East West ties up with Halliburton for shale plays
East West Petroleum Corp. announced today that it has entered into a contractual agreement with Halliburton. This collaborative effort will target potentially rich shale plays in North America, Europe and a limited number of other selected geographic areas.
Eastman completes Netherlands resins expansion
Eastman Chemical said Friday that it has completed the expansion of its hydrogenated hydrocarbon resins facility in Middelburg, The Netherlands. With the expansion, the company has doubled capacity at the site since 2006.
- Morgan Fuels & Lubes achieves approval under the renewable fuels assurance scheme 7/16
- JERA and Samsung C&T to strengthen supply security of hydrogen and ammonia value chains 7/16
- Intelligent OT networks with Tosi Insight 7/16
- H4 Marseille Fos secures power supply for one of Europe's largest e-SAF projects 7/16
- Emerson automates refinery scheduling to improve margins, respond faster to market volatility 7/16
- Russia seeks more gasoline from India after Ukraine attacks refineries 7/16
