Global downstream news: 19 January 2015

The world

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), refineries around the world processed a record volume of crude in December as plants returned from maintenance and falling oil prices boosted margins.

Global refinery crude throughput rose 370 000 bpd to 78.9 million bpd last month.

USA

Dakota

The Dakota Priarie Refining facility will not be operational until April, may or June due to bitterly cold weather.

The refinery instituted work stoppages in November and January due to low temperatures, delaying the final touches to the facility, which was schedule for completion by the end of last year.

Ohio

A US$200 million refinery project first proposed in 2013 has been given new life by a Texas energy company that has applied for a permit from the Ohio Environment Protection Agency.

Ashtabula Energy – a division of Velocys – wants to build the US$200 million natural gas to liquids conversion plant on Lake Road. The application, if approved, would allow 1.6 million gal. of wastewater to be discharged into Lake Erie, which is expected to have minimal impact on water quality.

Nigeria

The efficiency of the Port Harcourt refinery is to be enhanced via the installation of a 25 MW gas turbine for the sole purpose of supplying electricity to the facility.

Subsequently, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke is to commissioning three 25 MW gas turbines, installed and operated by an independent power producer.

The initiative is part of pragmatic measures to ensure continuous and unimpeded refining of petroleum products.

Saudi Arabia

A major new joint venture refinery in Saudi Armaco may ramp up production and run at full capacity in a month, recent reports suggest.

The 400 000 bpd refinery, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and China’s Sinopec, is currently running at approximately 60% capacity.

Edited from various sources by Emma McAleavey

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/refining/19012015/downstream-news-090/