Refining, Petrochemicals, Gas Processing, Biofuels
Nigeria’s Dangote Refinery Maintains Progress
According to recent remarks made by a Dangote spokesman, the 650,000 barrel per day Dangote refinery currently under construction could see commissioning by the end of 2021.
NNPC Looks to Take Stake in Upcoming Refineries
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has been endeavoring to acquire equity in as many as six developing private refineries in the country.
Nacero Awards FEED Contract to Bechtel for GTG plant
Nacero of Houston has awarded a Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) contract to Bechtel for a proposed natural gas to gasoline (GTG) plant in Penwell, Texas. This multibillion-dollar facility has an anticipated capacity for 115,000 barrels per day and is believed to the first gasoline manufacturing facility to include carbon capture, its storage, and 100% renewable power.
NNPC in Discussions to Take 20% of Upcoming Dangote Refinery
The state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (NNPC) is reportedly endeavoring to acquire a 20% piece of the upcoming massive Dangote refinery in Nigeria. This refinery has a capacity for 650,000 barrels per day and is currently expected to begin production in 2022 as the largest refinery in Africa.
Shell’s Closed Louisiana Refinery Draws New Interest
Royal Dutch Shell continues to assess the future of its idled Convent refinery as it continues to receive purchase bids from an investment group in Louisiana.
Pemex is Buying Out Shell’s Interest in Shared Texas Refinery
Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) and Royal Dutch Shell announced in late May that they have reached an agreement for Shell to sell its interest in the long running Deer Park Refinery of Texas, which has been a 50/50 joint venture consisting of Shell subsidiary Shell Oil Company and Pemex subsidiary P.M.I. Norteamerica, S.A. Once completed, this refinery will see Pemex take over 100% ownership of the facility.
Indian Refiners in Line for Iranian Oil
Indian refineries could very well be preparing to start buying oil from Iran as early as the second half of this year, if U.S. sanctions on the country are indeed lifted.
Lummus Chosen to Provide Novolen Technology for Egyptian Project
Lummus Technology of the United States announced that it has been selected to be the polypropylene licensor for work at the upcoming Anchor Benitoite petrochemical project in Suez, Egypt. This licensing also includes basic design engineering, training, services, and catalyst supply.
Engro Contracts Honeywell UOP and W.R. Grace for Technologies at PDH/PP Complex
Engro of Pakistan recently announced it has chosen Honeywell UOP and W.R. Grace for respective technologies to be utilized at the company’s upcoming Propane Dehydrogenation and Polypropylene (PDH/PP) production facility in Karachi, Pakistan.
Australia to Keep Two Refineries Open
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced this week that the Australian government will indeed support the two remaining refineries still open in the country, and that these two refineries have accepted this plan moving forward.
Nigeria’s Refining Plans Remain Ambitious
Despite being a significant global crude oil producer with nearly 1.5 million barrels per day, Nigeria has continually relied upon refined fuel from beyond its borders. For many years now, the Nigerian government has faced obstacles such as geopolitical instability, inefficient and moribund facilities, and political corruption as the country attempts to create an export mentality moving forward.
Motiva’s Port Arthur Refinery Reportedly Shuts Two CDUs After Pipeline Outage
Multiple reports on Monday afternoon indicated that the largest refinery in the United States has had to temporarily shut down two crude distillation units after a reported cybersecurity attack on the Colonial Pipeline cause an outage of operations.
Technip Awarded an EPCC Contract for Upcoming PTA Plant in India
Technip Energies of France announced recently that it had been awarded a large Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning (EPCC) contract by the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) for its upcoming Paraxylene (PX) and Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) project on the East Coast of India. No contract value was stated, but Technip Energies considers a “large” contract to be between $353 million and $707 million dollars.
Dos Bocas Refinery Woes Continue
The state-owned Pemex Dos Bocas refinery project in Mexico could see a dramatic cost increase from $8.9 billion to as much as $12.4 billion, according to recent statements from the company’s board of directors.
Honeywell UOP to Provide Technology Support in Egypt
Honeywell UOP of the United States announced recently that it has been contracted by Anchorage Investments Ltd. for the provision of its C3 Oleflex™ technology for production of 750,000 tons per year of polymer-grade propylene for the upcoming Anchor Benitoite petrochemicals facility in Suez, Egypt. A contract value was not announced at this time.
BUA’s 200,000 bpd Nigerian Refinery Looks Towards 2024
The BUA Group of Nigeria and Axens of France recently announced a joint progress acknowledgement statements regarding the proposed BUA refinery to be built in Nigeria’s Akwa Ibom State before 2025. This latest endorsement comes about six months after both companies signed a contract for process technology and complex design.
Future Uncertain for Long Running Stanlow Refinery in the UK
The future around the long running Stanlow refinery in the Ellesmere Port in Northwest England has been thrust into uncertainty lately due to reports of financial instability from lower fuel demand. Multiple reports have indicated that investment firm Apollo Global Management of New York has been in talks on some level for a potential £400 million refinancing agreement for the complex.
W.R. Grace Licenses its UNIPOL Technology for Shandong Polypropylene Project
W.R. Grace of Maryland recently announced that it will indeed provide its UNIPOL® PP Process Technology and its UNIPOL UNIPPAC® Process Control Software to Sinochem Hongrun Petrochemical for use at the developing polypropylene facility in Qingzhou, China. According to Grace, its UNIPOL PP service will give this project the widest available range of polypropylene homopolymers, random copolymers, and impact copolymers for this application.
Samsung Signs on to Build Significant Saudi Arabian PDH Plant
Samsung Engineering of South Korea recently stated that it has been awarded a contract valued at $653 million dollars for the construction of a propane dehydrogenation plant (PDH) in Saudi Arabia.
Worley Wins FEED Contract for Rodeo Renewed Project
Worley of Australia recently announced that it had been awarded a front-end engineering services contract by Phillips 66 for its planned conversion of its long running San Francisco refinery in Rodeo, California into a renewable fuels facility.
Exxon’s Huizhou Petrochemical Complex Moves Ahead with Sinopec
State-owned Sinopec Engineering of China has signed on to Exxon’s planned Huizhou petrochemical complex in Huizhou, China for basic design, engineering, procurement and construction work. This contract covers the initial phase for this complex.
First Ever Commercial Scale Alkylation Unit Starts Up in Utah
Honeywell announced on the 13th of April that that the commissioning and start-up procedures for the ISOALKY process unit at Chevron’s Salt Lake City refinery have been completed. This process unit is the first of its kind in the world on a commercial scale and is being touted as a major innovation in this type of technology.
W.R. Grace Licenses its UNIPOL PP Process Technology for Uzbekistan’s MTO Complex
W.R. Grace of Maryland recently announced that it has indeed licensed its UNIPOL PP Process Technology to Enter Engineering of Singapore for the upcoming Methanol to Olefins (MTO) Gas Chemical Complex in the Bukhara region of Uzbekistan.
Indian Oil Corporation contracts Technip Energies for Barauni Refinery Upgrade
Technip Energies has recently been awarded an Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning (EPCC) contract for Indian Oil’s expansion project at the Barauni complex in eastern India, named the BR9 expansion. The contract value was not specified, but it was deemed as a “significant” project, which Technip classifies as a contract between €50 million and €250 million.
Nigeria’s Port Harcourt Refinery Rehab Project Picks up Pace
In late March, the Nigerian Federal Executive Council approved approximately $1.5 billion in spending for the rehabilitation and modernization of the Port Harcourt Refinery Complex.
Nigeria’s Duport Modular Refinery Expected by Year’s End
Duport Midstream Company Limited of Lagos announced in late March that its upcoming modular refinery in Nigeria’s Edo State would indeed be ready for commissioning in the fourth quarter of this year. This project is being implemented by Duport alongside the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
Refinery Closures in Australia to Force Even More Import Reliance
BP is scheduled to shut in its long running 146,000 barrel per day Kwinana refinery in Western Australia by the end of March.
Ratnagiri Refinery Could be on the Move Again
The large $44 billion Ratnagiri Refinery project under planning in India has once again been discussed as a candidate for moving its potential location, this time away from the Nanar village in the Ratnagiri district.
Inter Pipeline’s Heartland Petrochemical Complex Charges Ahead
The Heartland Petrochemical Complex under construction near Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta appears to be continuing towards its planned startup in 2022. Project operator Inter Pipeline recently rejected what it called a hostile takeover bid from Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP of Toronto.
Pakistan Poised for Progress with Saudi Aramco’s $10 billion “Oil City” in Gwadar
It was recently reported that Pakistan will indeed begin plans for a significant refinery complex to be built in Balochistan’s Gwadar district.
