The US Environmental Protection Agency formally proposed allowing year-round sales of gasoline with 15% ethanol on Mar. 12, a move which corn ethanol suppliers cheered and oil refiners condemned. It also proposed modifying parts of its Renewable Identification Number (RIN) program which it said would make the biofuel credits more transparent and deter price manipulation. […]
Uganda approves FEED, EPC contractor for proposed refinery
The government of Uganda has approved a plan by the Albertine Graben Refinery Consortium to have Saipem move forward with both front-end engineering design as well as engineering, procurement, and construction of a grassroots 60,000-b/d refinery in Kabaale, in western Uganda’s Hoima district. Source: News
EIA: Oil prices up on lower OPEC, US production
Brent crude oil spot prices averaged $64/bbl in February, up $5/bbl from January and about $1/bbl lower than the same time last year. Declining estimated crude oil production for February from both OPEC and the US contributed to a drawdown of 1.4 million b/d in global liquid fuels inventories, according to the latest Short-Term Energy […]
United Oil & Gas acquires option for Benin farmin
United Oil & Gas has entered an option agreement to acquire 20% of the Block B production-sharing contract in Benin from Elephant Oil. The 1.1 million-acre block is in the Dahomey Embayment west of Cotonou. The basin has had no drilling in Benin, but Dahomey Embayment wells along the coasts of Ghana and Nigeria have encountered […]
IOC lets contracts for clean-fuels projects at Indian refineries
Indian Oil Corp. has let multiple contracts totaling $12 million to Emerson Electric Co. to provide services related to a major modernization and upgrade of operations and emissions programs to increase operational efficiency, reduce emissions, and expand production of cleaner fuels at several of its refineries to ensure compliance with India’s looming more-stringent environmental standards. […]
Vietnamese operator lets contract for PDH unit
Phu My Plastics Production JSC has let a contract to Honeywell UOP LLC to provide process technology for a grassroots propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit at its operations in Ba Ria, Vung Tau Province, Vietnam. Source: News
US House Natural Resources Democrats seek BLM enforcement information
US House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Energy and Minerals Subcommittee Chairman Alan Lowenthal asked acting US Interior Sec. David Bernhardt for information about the US Bureau of Land Management’s safety and environmental regulation enforcement efforts. Source: News
MARKET WATCH: Crude oil benchmarks gain on Saudi comments
Benchmark crude oil prices gained on markets in both London and New York Mar. 11 after Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said production cuts led by OPEC likely will continue until at least June. Speaking before the start of CERAWeek by IHS Markit in Houston, al-Falih told Reuters Mar. 11 that it would be too early […]
Qatar Petroleum farms in to Mozambique exploration block
Qatar Petroleum has reached an agreement with Eni SPA to farm in to Block A5A in the Angoche basin offshore Mozambique. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, minister of state for energy affairs and QP president and chief executive officer, said the deal is part of a strategy to expand the company’s exploration portfolio “to ensure diversification of […]
NOAA proposes CZMA changes to improve offshore leasing process
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that it is proposing possible changes in the Coastal Zone Management Act aimed at making the federal consistency process more efficient across all stages of US Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas projects from leasing through development. Source: News