Industry News
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Oil firms evacuate Gulf of Mexico facilities ahead of brewing storm
Chevron Corp and Occidental Petroleum Corp said they were withdrawing staff and implementing storm precautions at their U.S. Gulf of Mexico offshore facilities ahead of a brewing tropical storm.
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Russia's Lukoil to invest $3 B in petrochemicals
Russia's second-largest oil producer Lukoil plans to invest $3 billion in production of petrochemicals within the next 6 years.
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Waste-to-methanol facility to be constructed at Port of Amsterdam
GIDARA Energy has announced that it will construct an advanced biofuels facility in Amsterdam that will convert waste into methanol.
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China’s growing bunker fuel market squeezes out N. Asian competitors
China is reshaping global shipping fuel markets by taking advantage of its booming maritime trade and massive refining capacity to undercut rivals from Singapore to South Korea and become the world’s fastest-growing major marine fuel hub.
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Exxon restarts Baton Rouge, Louisiana, small crude unit
ExxonMobil restarted the small crude distillation unit (CDU) at its 502,500 barrel-per-day (bpd) Baton Rouge, Louisiana, refinery, following a month of work.
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Texas refinery lockout - Exxon rejects union proposals
Exxon Mobil Corp said that it has rejected proposals by the United Steelworkers union to end a seven-week lockout at the company's Beaumont, Texas, refinery.
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Asia Distillates-Gasoil cash differential slips but ends week higher
Cash discounts for cargoes of Asia's 10 ppm gasoil slipped on Friday on weaker physical deal values in the Singapore trading window, but ended the week higher on signs of improving demand in Asia.
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INEOS signs worldwide agreement to use Antea’s Risk Based Inspection Asset Integrity software
Antea, a global leader for 32 years in risk-based asset integrity management (AIM) software with 3D digital twin integration, has officially entered into a worldwide frame agreement with leading chemical company, INEOS.
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US refinery shutdown serves as a lesson for process safety
“PROCESS safety is more than just life preservation, it’s about making sure that we look after the communities that surround us as well,” says process safety expert Paul Kenny.
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Caribbean refinery must install 18 air monitors to resume operating
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is requiring that Limetree Bay refinery install 18 air monitors in St. Croix after ordering the plant to halt operations last month.
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Air Products to build world-scale hydrogen energy complex
AIR Products has announced a multibillion-dollar plan for a “landmark”, world-scale net-zero hydrogen energy complex in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
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China's refinery output hits record as margins improve on new taxes
China's refinery throughput rose 4.4% in May from the same month a year ago to a record high, as margins improved on the back of easing supplies of blending stocks after Beijing announced new taxes.
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U.S. lawmakers urge EPA to reject exempting refiner from biofuel mandates
Democratic U.S. congressional members sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency, urging the administration to reject any action that would exempt oil refiners from mandates to blend biofuels into the nation's fuel mix.
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Explosion at Illinois lubricants facility
AN explosion occurred at a facility in Rockton, Illinois, US, on 14 June. The subsequent fire has yet to be fully extinguished, but authorities say it is under control.
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Jane Cutler becomes 80th IChemE President
JANE Cutler has become the 80th President of IChemE. She delivered an expansive Presidential address focussed on the need for chemical engineers to adapt and respond to the opportunities and challenges presented by our changing world.
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Dairy pioneer Kevin Marshall honoured by the Queen
KEVIN Marshall has been made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit by the Queen, for his services to food science and technology.
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Controversial Keystone XL pipeline formally terminated
THE controversial Keystone XL pipeline has been formally scrapped, ending a decades-long struggle between industry and environmentalists.
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Uzbekneftegaz to commission GTL complex by yearend
JSC Uzbekneftegaz subsidiary Uzbekneftegaz GTL LLC is nearing completion of its long-planned Oltin Yo’l complex in southern Uzbekistan’s Kashkadarya region.
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Drax enters carbon capture deals to advance BECCS
DRAX has entered into carbon capture agreements with services company Bechtel, and industrial firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) that will further progress on bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).
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Equinor shedding Danish refining assets
Equinor ASA has inked a deal for the sale of subsidiary Equinor Refining Denmark AS—including its 107,000-b/d refinery at Kalundborg, Denmark—to UK-based Klesch Group.
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Australia announces winners of carbon capture fund
THE Australian Government has announced six winners of a A$50m (US$38.7m) carbon capture fund. The projects will demonstrate ways that capture technologies can reduce emissions from hard-to-abate sectors.
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ExxonMobil takes FID on Baton Rogue refinery modernization program
ExxonMobil Corp. is moving forward with its plan to invest more than $240 million in modernization projects aimed at ensuring the long-term competitiveness of subsidiary ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricants Co.’s 520,000-b/d integrated complex.
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CO2 capture to reduce Netherlands refinery emissions by 90%
AIR Liquide Engineering & Construction has signed a contract with Zeeland Refinery for a carbon capture and liquefaction facility at the refinery’s Vlissingen site in the Netherlands. It is expected to reduce emissions by more than 90%, capturing more than 800,000 t/y of CO2.
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Dungeness B will begin decommissioning seven years ahead of schedule
THE UK’s Dungeness B nuclear power station will begin decommissioning activities some seven years earlier than expected after investigations discovered problems with components that cannot be replaced.
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Student team’s potato mask wins inaugural John Davidson competition
A TEAM of school students who developed a biodegradable face mask made from potato starch have won an inaugural sustainability competition launched in memory of chemical engineer John Davidson.
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Malaysia’s Sarawak state lets contract for new methanol plant
Sarawak Petchem Sdn. Bhd has let a contract to a division of Air Liquide SA to license process technology for a grassroots methanol plant now under development at Bintulu, Sarawak.
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Cement major plans world’s first carbon-neutral production plant
HEIDELBERGCEMENT plans to retrofit its plant in Sweden to capture 1.8m t/y of CO2, and become what it says will be the world’s first carbon-neutral cement plant.
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Sarawak set for first methanol plant in 2023
MALAYSIA’s state of Sarawak is pressing ahead with the construction of its first methanol plant, as it seeks to diversify downstream.
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Oil spill preparations underway for stricken ship off Sri Lanka
EXPERTS have begun modelling how oil might spill from a cargo ship that caught fire off the coast of Sri Lanka and then sank.
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ADNOC awards ‘blue’ ammonia contract to Wood
ABU Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has awarded a contract for Wood to design a 'blue' ammonia production facility as part of plans to diversify downstream.
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Peel NRE plans second plastic-to-hydrogen facility in UK
PEEL NRE has announced plans to develop a waste plastic to hydrogen facility in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland.
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CSB releases final report on hydrogen sulfide release at Texas waterflood station
THE US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has released its final report on the 2019 hydrogen sulfide release at the Aghorn Operating waterflood station in Texas, which caused the deaths of two people.
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Novel wearable gas sensor
RESEARCHERS at the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), South Korea have developed a wearable sensor that can detect volatile gases and immediately notify users through a holographic image. The inexpensive, ultracompact device could help avoid gas accidents.
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Total rebrands to TotalEnergies
TOTAL has changed its name to TotalEnergies, to reflect its transformation from an oil and gas major to an energy company that includes more sustainable fuels.
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Cimarex and Cabot form US$17bn company
CIMAREX Energy and Cabot Oil & Gas have announced that they will combine, in an all-stock merger of equals.
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NZ’s only refinery takes a step closer to closing
NEW ZEALAND’S sole refinery is another step closer to being converted into an import terminal after a second shareholder approved the plan.
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Using a sponge made of pollen to soak up oil from contaminated water
A POLLEN-BASED sponge has been developed as a more environmentally friendly way of soaking up oil and other organic solvents from contaminated water.
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CarbonBuilt’s commercial project to accelerate through purchase agreement
CARBONBUILT has announced that it has entered into a purchase agreement with financial services and software company Stripe, which will accelerate the commercialisation of CarbonBuilt’s technology to decarbonise cement and store CO2 in concrete.
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Fire at Aussie power plant set to knock out unit for 12 months
A FIRE at the Callide coal-fired power plant in Queensland, Australia has caused blackouts across the state, and the operator says it expects the damaged unit to be offline for a year.
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Landmark court ruling will see Shell reduce emissions by 45% by 2030
IN A landmark ruling, the Netherlands’ District Court of The Hague has ordered international energy company Royal Dutch Shell to reduce its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 45% by 2030. Shell intends to appeal.
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Innova to manufacture rapid Covid-19 tests in UK
INNOVA Medical Group has announced plans to manufacture its rapid Covid-19 tests in the UK through a partnership with Sharp Packaging.
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Sustainable chemical technologies to accelerate net-zero
LED by the University of Bath, UK, a major new collaboration between academia and industry seeks to use sustainable chemical technologies to accelerate the UK’s transition to net-zero carbon emissions.
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David Bogle elected as IChemE’s 81st President
DAVID Bogle has been elected as IChemE’s President for 2022/3. The news comes as IChemE announced the names of the candidates who have been elected to roles on the Board of Trustees, Congress, and the Learned Society Committee.
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Neste lets contracts to expand Rotterdam renewable fuels production
Neste Corp. has let two contracts to Technip Energies to provide services for proposed expansions of the operator’s renewable fuels production platform in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
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Grace expands manufacturing facility in Malaysia
SPECIALITY chemicals company Grace has completed the expansion of its manufacturing plant in Kuantan, Malaysia.
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Singapore partners to assess ammonia as marine fuel
A MEMORANDUM of understanding has been signed by a group of partners for a development study on the use of ammonia as a marine fuel in Singapore.
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Australia to ‘recklessly’ invest A$600m in gas project
AS PART of its 2021–22 Budget, the Australian Government is investing up to A$600m (US$464.3m) to allow energy generation company Snowy Hydro to construct a 660 MW gas power turbine in Kurri Kurri, Hunter Valley, New South Wales (NSW).
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Innovation challenge launched to decarbonise cement and concrete industry
THE Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched a programme to help accelerate low-carbon technologies in cement and concrete production by partnering startups with industry.
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Hydrogen Valley planned for Aussie coal country
A CONSORTIUM has outlined proposals to create a ‘hydrogen valley’ in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales in Australia, that would help pioneer clean energy and feedstocks in place of the region’s coal industry.
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Singapore and UK to address climate change in the ASEAN region
RESEARCHERS in Singapore, in a first-of-its-kind international collaboration, are partnering with the UK’s COP26 Universities Network, aiming to address climate change in the ASEAN region.
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