Late February downstream news: The Americas

Alberta

Government support for the Alberta First Nations Energy Centre has been pulled. Energy Minister Ted Morton made the announcement saying that provincial support of $ 6.6 billion for the bitumen refinery had been withdrawn. The government see the plant as too risky an investment for tax payers money.

New Jersey

The Paulsboro Refining Company filed a spill with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection after a lead on 23^rd February from an oil tank. 6.6 million gals leaked from the tank in to an emergency containment area. There is no environmental threat, however an unpleasant odour was reported in Gloucester Country, South Jersey and Delaware county, Pennsylvania.

North Dakota

MDU Resources and Calumet Speciality Products have announced plans to build a 200 000 bpd diesel refinery. The plant will be built in the southwest of the state and process crude from the Bakken shale project.

Virgin Islands

Hovensa LLC has now completed the shutdown of a 350 000 bpd facility on the island of St Croix. The refinery has been taken offline due to losses of US$ 1.3 billion over the last three years. Shutdown of the plant was announced on 18^th January of this year.

Washington

Due to a fire at the Cherry Point refinery in the middle of last week, a coking unit and sole crude distillation unit were taken offline. The facility is owned by BP Plc.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/27022012/downstream-news-from-the-americas23/