Global refining news: 14 October 2014

China

CNPC and OAO Rosneft have signed an agreement to extend the Tianjin joint venture refinery project. Under the agreement the partners will make a final decision on the investment in March 2016. When a decision is made the commissioning of the plant will begin in 2019.

Croatia

MOL, the Hungarian owners of a refinery in Croatia, has said that it makes no sense to keep the Sisak refinery running. Results of an INA analysis are still being waited on before the final fate of the plant is decided.

India

Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd Shut its refinery in the port of Visakhapatnam as a precaution against the Hudhud cyclone on Sunday morning. There was some minor disturbance at the 166 000 bpd facility reported due to the storm and it will take approximately 4 days for the plant to come back online.

The Netherlands

KPI has said that its Rotterdam refinery is either to be sold or shutdown. The Kuwaiti company has officially cancelled pans to invest US$ 1.4 billion in the plant, which would have added a lubricants hydrocracker and new vacuum unit to the plant.

Norway

Neste Jacobs has been made the EPCM contractor for a new solvent deasphalting unit for Neste Oil’s Porvoo refinery. The unit is expected to cost 200 million Europs and will increase production at the plant. The unit is expected to be completed during 2017.

Romania

The Romanian president has asked to government to look in to nationalising the Ploiesti refinery which currently belongs to Lukoil of Russia. This is being sought following tax fraud to the Romanian economy by the company to the cost of 230 million Euros. The refinery was investigated and searched by police last week and operations were shutdown. As of this week, the plant has resumed operation.

USA

Chalmette Refining has held its fifth Battle for the Paddle raising US$ 3000 for the United Way of Southeast Louisiana. The competition took place on 3 October and saw 18 teams of employees, contracts and retirees of the refinery battling to cook the best Jambalaya and win the paddle.

In West Virginia regulators are looking for public comment on an air quality permit that has been proposed for an oil refinery in Newell. The permit would allow the Ergon refinery in the state to increase emissions of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide and other matter. This permit would cover the modifications Ergon are currently seeking to make to the refinery.

Wales

EU regulators have approved Klech’s purchase of the Milford Haven refinery. Klesch agreed to purchase the facility in July this year for an undisclosed sum from Murphy Oil despite reports that the plant was struggling in the current competitive market. The plant refines gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, jet fuel, LPG and propylene. The European Commission has said that there are no anti trust concerns surrounding the purchase.

Edited from various sources by Claira Lloyd

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/14102014/oil-refining-global-news-14-oct/