North America downstream news

The 50/50 JV includes a 1.5 million t ethane cracker, 0.9 million t low-density and linear-low density polyethylene plants, and associated infrastructure near Lake Charles, Louisiana, US.

The consulting firm's index will account for the typical crude run in US West Coast refineries, the cost of compliance with greenhouse gas-reduction regulations, and local refined product prices.

For the week ending 13 November US distillate inventories fell to 143 million barrels, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

The Quebec Government has awarded funding totalling CAN$5.943 million to a project to develop biofuels from locally-sourced forestry waste in La Tuque, Quebec, Canada.

The completion of the project quadruples the processing capacity at the Phillips 66 Sweeny Hub.

Shell may begin the permanent shutdown of its 211 146 bpd Convent, Louisiana, refinery early next week.

TechnipFMC is to proceed with a US$1 billion contract to add a 3.25 million tpy LNG facility to an existing regasification terminal in Baja California, Mexico.

The joint venture will work with Lummus’ existing customers and potential customers to implement digital analysis and operative solutions to their refining, petrochemical and gas processing assets.

The expansion project adds eight new research and development laboratories with equipment for developing new proprietary technologies to support innovations in Catalysis, Recycling and 3D Printing.

The Lake Charles Chemicals Project in Louisiana, US, is now complete following the start-up of the low-density polyethylene unit.