3 July 2014: Downstream global update

India

The construction of the Paradip oil refinery by Indian Oil Corporation is expected to be complete by the end of the year. The work has been delayed on several occasions due to the drop in the oil market, land and labour problems and a delay in the commissioning of a relate power plant. The facility is expected to have a processing capacity of 15 million tpy when it comes on stream in total.

The diesel hydrodesulfuriser at the Mumbai refinery owned by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited has been shut down. The unit at the 240 000 bpd facility has been reportedly taken offline due to a technical problem. The unit was apparently taken offline last week and is expected to remain idle for another 10 – 15 days.

Nigeria

16 people suspected of illegal oil bunkering have been arrested by the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in Delta State. The suspects were all caught with barrels containing illegally obtained oil and bunkering apparatus. Also, it has been reported that over the last three weeks, 50 illegal refineries have been discovered and destroyed by the JTF.

Turkey

A representative of Tupras has said that the company still does not want to buy Kurdish oil. The oil in question is being stored at the Ceyhan export hub in the Mediterranean. The company do not wish to purchase the oil as it wants to avoid business deals that could exacerbate the lingering dispute between the sale of Kurdish oil to international markets between the Iraqi and Kurdish governments.

USA

Ergon Inc. has announced plans to add a 10 000 bpd condensate stabiliser at Newell, West Virginia in 2015. The company is also reportedly seeking to add 10 000 bpd of condensate stabilisation capacity to the Marietta, Ohio river terminal by the end of this year. These are going to be added to enhance the company’s refining assets in and around the Appalachian Basin.

Silver Eagle Refining has reportedly agreed to pay US$ 10 000 in fines. The violations are against the Davis County Health Department, Utah and related to a tank failure which resulted in a release of noxious odors in the Wood Cross neighbourhood. The failure occurred in mid May of this year and the odors apparently caused problems surrounding the residential area for 23 hours.

BASF Total Petrochemicals LLC has received an award from the American Chemistry Council (ACC). The Waste Minimisation, Reuse and Recycling Award is for successfully implementing a wastewater management project in Port Arthur, Texas. The project reduces site waste as well as operating costs.

Edited from various sources by Claira Lloyd

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/03072014/downstream_world_news_848/