Europe
Shell mulls German refinery upgrade to meet 2020 IMO sulfur rules
LONDON (Reuters) — Royal Dutch Shell is considering expanding the capacity of one of its German refineries to make oil products that meet an upcoming cap on the sulfur content of fuels used in shipping.
OPEC supply-cut compliance runs up against ire over country targets
DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) — OPEC has delivered record-high adherence to its oil output-cutting pact so far in 2017, but with laggards Iraq and the UAE yet to show how they can meet their prescribed targets, sources say a refocusing on exports may be the key to further progress.
Finnish oil refiner Neste reports lower profits, shares fall
HELSINKI (Reuters) — Finnish oil refiner and biofuel producer Neste on Thursday reported a drop in second-quarter earnings due to expiry of a US biofuel tax break plus the impact of maintenance stoppages at its conventional refineries.
INEOS Phenol to invest in world-scale cumene unit in Germany
The construction of a new cumene plant will support customer demand improve the security of raw material supply to INEOS phenol and acetone plants located in Gladbeck and Antwerp.
Azerbaijan's oil shipments via Russia jump to 818,664 t in Jan–July
BAKU (Reuters) — Azerbaijan's oil shipments via Russia jumped to 818,664 t in January–July this year from 559,065 t in the same period last year, state oil company SOCAR said on Tuesday.
German ministers and carmakers meet to 'save diesel'
BERLIN (Reuters) — German politicians and car bosses agreed on Wednesday to overhaul engine software on 5.3 MM diesel cars to cut pollution and try to repair the industry's battered reputation.
Boxscore Construction Analysis: The state of the global downstream construction sector
In May, Lee Nichols, Editor and Associate Publisher of <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> and <i>Gas Processing</i>, presented a detailed, year-to-date trend analysis and review on new and active downstream construction projects around the world.
People
Dr. Béla Kelemen has been named President of the European Petroleum Refiners Association for the next 2-yr term.
Global Project Data
<i>Hydrocarbon Processing’s</i> Construction Boxscore Database is tracking nearly 350 downstream projects with capital expenditures (CAPEX) of $1 B or greater.
Business Trends: Ethylene production economics from optional feedstocks
The petrochemicals industry is witnessing enormous growth worldwide. Ethylene is produced by cracking a range of hydrocarbons. Naphtha is the main raw material used in European and Japanese crackers, while the US utilizes ethane as its primary feedstock.
- Methanex to indefinitely idle 860,000-tpy Trinidad and Tobago methanol plant 6/30
- Several injured in fire at Haldia Petrochemicals' plant in eastern India 6/30
- Shell forecast: Global LNG demand expected to grow by 65% by 2050 6/30
- Neste to invest over €400 MM in Porvoo refinery maintenance turnaround 6/30
- INEOS Enterprises completes sale of INEOS Calabrian to Ecovyst 6/30
- Capstone Energy+ expands proven power solution at world's southernmost refinery with follow-on order in Chile 6/30

