Global refining news: 12 December 2014

Canada

The feasibility study for the construction of an oil refinery in British Colombia is now complete. The facility will cost approximately US$22 billion and the study was implemented and funded by newspaper magnate David Black. The proposed Kitimat Clean complex will have the ability to process 550 000 bpd of bitumen into 460 000 bpd of fuel and will be one of the 10 largest on the plant employing 3000 people.

Pacific Future Energy which is currently backing a new refinery for the North Coast of British Colombia has appointed former Assembly of First Nations national chiefs Shawn Atleo and Ovide Mercredi as advisors. The company is looking to build a refinery in a similar vain to Kitimat Clean above and, would, if built be the world’s greenest refinery.

Malaysia

Pertamina has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Saudi Aramco, JX Nippon Oil & Energy and Sinopec to help upgrade existing refineries. The MoU is worth approximately US$25 billion. Under it Saudi Aramco will assist Pertamina in upgrading three refineries in Malaysia while Sinopec will help upgrade the Plaju refinery in South Sumatra and JX Nippon will work on the Balikpapan refinery in East Kalimantan amongst other aspects of work. The basic agreement is for the cooperation and FEED to be completed by 2016.

Oman

ORPIC has announced that operations are due to resume at the Mina Al Fahal refinery on 18 December. The plant was taken offline due to a fire on 5 December at one of the facility’s naphtha treatment units. An investigation is now underway to determine the cause of the fire which injured three people.

Uganda

The Ugandan government has reportedly entered into the final phase of talks with two consortiums with regards to the final bidding for constructing the country’s first refinery. The two groups from Russia and South Korea are being led by RT Global Resources and SK Group, respectively. The 60 000 bpd facility is expected to cost in the region of US$4 billion to build and will be the largest ever energy sector contract issued in the country.

USA

Bison Oil LLC has said that it is going to explore the possibility of setting up five new oil refineries. The facilities will be constructed across the Midwest with a focus currently being made on the Upper Peninsula. The company are now looking in to conducting a feasibility study for the project which could take approximately eight months and a community advisory committee is being constructed for January.

Sources:Al Arabiya News, Upper Michigans Source, Times Colonist, NASDAQ, The Jakarta Post, Castlegar News.

Edited from various sources by Claira Lloyd

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/refining/12122014/global-oil-refining-news-12-dec-14/