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Europe

Gazprom to announce new LNG project in Russia

Gazprom will soon announce another "fundamentally new" liquefied natural gas project, said Alexei Miller, the company's CEO. Gazprom is already building a gas liquefaction plant in Vladivostok to supply the Asia Pacific region. Companies from Japan are in talks to buy supplies from the facility.

Celanese looks to sell Spain vinyl acetate plant

The VAM unit in Tarragona, Spain, has a capacity of 200,000 tpy. Celanese said the decision to sell the plant was driven by a recently completed assessment of the company's overall corporate strategy, which included an assessment of the company’s global manufacturing facilities.

SOCAR awards engineering contracts to construct largest Turkey refinery

A consortium comprised of Itochu and foreign firms won an order from the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic to build Turkey's largest oil refinery in the western city of Izmir. Other members of the consortium are Tecnicas Reunidas, Saipem and GS Engineering and Construction.

Flood of Russian diesel puts European refiners under pressure

HP Editorial Staff: HP News Services

Russia's slowing domestic economy is leading to a flood of Russian diesel exports flowing toward Europe, which could soon force a new round of European refinery closures.

Total acquires Shell fuel retail network in Egypt

Gasoline retail activities have decreased in Western Europe, on the back of lower consumption due to the prolonged economic crisis. Lower cost retailers have also emerged, forcing some major companies to rethink their refining and marketing strategy and focus instead on oil exploration and production.

Carbon capture technology becoming cost effective

The Cost Reduction Task Force, which authored the report, found that carbon capture and storage technology could be a viable option for the UK government in meeting its carbon reduction targets. The report estimated that CCS technology could soon generate electricity at a breakeven cost.

BG Group to focus on LNG in streamlined portfolio

The company is seeking to lure investors back. In recent months, BG Group has fallen out of favor with investors and analysts following a write down on the value of its US natural gas assets, big cost overruns at a key LNG project in Australia and downgrades to its production forecasts.

Nigeria to review Trans-Saharan gas pipeline plan

Nigeria and Algeria signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 2002 for the 4,000 km gas pipeline to carry gas from Nigeria's Niger Delta region through the Republic of Niger to Algeria's Beni Saf export terminal on the Mediterranean Sea.

DuPont forms African venture with Morocco's OCP on safety, sustainability

Under the new venture, the companies will provide consulting and training services in the areas of employee and contractor safety and training, process safety management, asset productivity, energy efficiency, integrated operations, sustainability strategy and environmental management.

Qatar to supply Egypt with up to 24 LNG cargoes

Under the swap deal, BG Group and Malaysia's Petroliam Nasional Bhd will give Egypt about 500 million cubic feet/day of the natural gas they extract in the country to help ease its fuel shortage, while Qatar Gas will reportedly send the LNG directly to the companies' overseas customers.