End of 2013 downstream news: The Americas

USA

The US oil industry’s powerful lobbying arm is pushing Congress and the Obama administration to consider lifting a ban on crude oil exports as domestic production is due to hit a record in 2016.

US crude exports have been heavily restricted by a forty year old policy that is arguably no longer required.

‘It is undeniable that our current production has rendered our policies obsolete’ said Erik Milito, API director of upstream and industry operations.

Indiana

BP has started up a US$ 4.2 billion oil conversion processing unit at its Whiting facility.

The unit 102 000 bpd unit will largely process heavy crude, including Canadian bitumen, into gas oils for use in gasoline and into petroleum coke for use in overseas energy production.

Louisiana

Motiva plans to shut down the fluid catalytic cracker at its refinery in Convent, Louisiana by October 2016 as it is proving unprofitable to operate.

The refinery’s crude units don’t produce as much feedstock, such as vacuum gasoil, as the unit can process. Motiva found it too costly to purchase additional feed.

Texas

The community of Port Aransas have expressed their opposition to a new refinery in the area, at a special meeting at City Hall. Citizens have concerns in regards to the potential of odour, noise, and lighting issues.

Utah

A group of doctors concerned about air pollution has asked Utah regulators to put a hold on a major refinery expansion. The Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment wants to stop Holly Refinery and Marketing Co. from going ahead.

Wyoming

Wyo-CTL LLC, which is owned by Jona Inc. finalised a deal with Chevron to purchase 135 acres of the former Texaco refinery site along Yellowstone Highway. The land will likely be annexed to the town of Evansville and transformed into a light industrial park.

Canada

An explosion and subsequent fire occurred on 24^th December at Consumers’ Cooperative Refineries Ltd’s (CCRL) 130 000 bpd refining complex in Regina, Sask. This was contained and extinguished by the refinery’s onsite fire crews.

In Alberta, partners in the North West Redwater Partnership (NWR) have let a services related contract to a subsidiary of Foster Wheeler for the design and supply of three package steam generating systems to be located at NWR’s Sturgeon Bitumen refinery.

Venezuela

A fire that broke out occurred in the early morning of 30^th December in the Amuay section of Petroleos de Venezuela SA’s (PDVSA) 940 000 bpd Paraguay Refining Centre.

The fire, which occurred at approximately 5.35am in Distillation Unit 3 of the refinery, was quickly contained and normal operations were resumed by 7am.

Edited from various sources by Emma McAleavey.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/08012014/the_americas_downstream_news_end_of_2013_20/