Woodside to buy out ExxonMobil’s share of Scarborough field

Woodside Petroleum has announced a $2.5-billion (Aus.) equity raising to pay for a number of LNG expansions onshore and offshore Western Australia, including the acquisition of ExxonMobil’s 50% interest in offshore retention lease WA-1-R containing the bulk of the yet-to-be-developed Scarborough natural gas field on the Exmouth Plateau. Source: News

API asks EPA to deny states', small refiners’ biofuel waiver requests

The American Petroleum Institute asked the US Environmental Protection Agency to deny petitions by small refiners and four states for waivers from the 2018 biofuel quotas the agency issued under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard. Source: News

EIA: US crude stocks up 1.8 million bbl

US commercial crude oil inventories, which exclude the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, increased by 1.8 million bbl during the week ended Feb. 9 from the previous week, marking the third straight week of increases. Source: News

Ferguson promoted to president, COO of Energy Hunter Resources

H.C. Kip Ferguson III has been promoted to president and chief operating officer of Energy Hunter Resources Inc. Prior to joining Energy Hunter, Ferguson served as executive vice-president of exploration at Magnum Hunter Resources Corp. Source: News

Kuwait begins major turnaround at Al-Ahmadi refinery

Kuwait Petroleum Corp. subsidiary Kuwait National Petroleum Co. has started a more than month-long turnaround at its 466,000-b/d Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery about 28 miles south of Kuwait City on the Persian Gulf. Source: News