Blast at Spanish biodiesel plant kills two

At least two people died in an explosion at a Spanish biodiesel plant in the northeastern region of La Rioja on Thursday, said Reuters.

It was not immediately clear what had caused the explosion. Local TV showed footage of thick plumes of black smoke rising from the site.

A group of 250 children visiting a bird park nearby had to be evacuated, the central government's regional office said. All were unharmed.

The plant is operated by privately-owned company Iniciativas Bioenergeticas which produces biodiesel and glycerine there from recycled vegetable oils. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

As per MRC, Repsol's industrial division posted an adjusted net income of €236m in the first quarter of this year, up sharply from the EUR73m it reported in the same period a year earlier, supported by strong refining earnings. Operating performance at the industrial business' refining unit was €334m higher year-on-year mainly due to higher refining margins and higher utilization rates at distillation units, the company said in a statement. In chemicals, operating performance was €41m lower year-on-year due to higher input prices and higher energy and CO2 costs.

Earlier it was reported that against the backdrop of a change in global strategy, the Spanish Repsol, formerly a major investor in the Russian fuel and energy complex, announced its withdrawal from Russia in December last year. The company will sell its shares in the oil assets of Evrotek-Yugra and ASB Geo to a Russian partner, Gazprom Neft.

Repsol is the largest oil and gas company in Spain and Latin America, one of the ten largest oil and gas corporations in the world.
mrchub.com

Nexeo Plastics, a leading global thermoplastics resin distributor, is pleased to announce an agreement with Highsun Engineering Plastics Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Highsun Holding Group (also known as HSCC), to provide high-quality virgin polyamide resins to customers in the Americas, said the company.

“The number of packaging and virgin polymer applications continue to increase across the globe, and we are pleased to add Highsun’s high-quality products to our list of solutions,” said Arturo Hoyo, vice president, Nexeo Plastics Product Line Management. “Highsun is a leader in this market, and we are honored they have chosen to partner with us to carry their products." Highsun’s products are often ideal for mono and multilayer film applications that require thermoformability, improved oxygen and aroma barrier, and chemical and puncture resistance. Highsun resins are also an excellent option for compounding, extrusion and blow molding.

“Highsun’s and Nexeo Plastics’ synergistic competencies will create a valuable platform for our accelerated growth in the Americas. This partnership will see us harnessing the strength of Highsun’s world-leading polyamide polymerization capabilities and Nexeo Plastics’ integrated supply chain and its local network and relationships,” said Stanly Tan, Business General Manager, Highsun Engineering Plastics.

As per MRC, Nexeo Plastics, a leading global thermoplastics resin distributor, is pleased to announce the establishment of a new distribution facility in Costa Rica to better serve customers in Central America. The warehouse and delivery network are located in the Coyol Area near San Jose and are expected to be operational in May 2022. From there, Nexeo Plastics will distribute its extensive range of thermoplastic resins and compounds from world-class suppliers, shortening order to delivery times and helping customers optimize their working capital by potentially reducing their need for large-scale investments in inventory.

Nexeo Plastics is a leading global thermoplastic resins distributor, representing quality products from world-class suppliers, and serving a diverse customer base across North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. From material selection assistance to identifying supply chain and inventory solutions, we go beyond traditional logistics to provide value-added services across many industries, including automotive, healthcare, packaging, wire and cable, 3D printing and more.

Founded in Fujian, China in 1984, HSCC has more than 8000 employees and is active in more than 30 countries and regions of the world. HSCC has taken the lead in completing the integration of the comprehensive nylon 6 industrial chains, from cyclohexanone (CYC)—caprolactam (CPL) —polymerization—spinning—texturizing—warping/weaving to dyeing and finishing. As an integrated player focused on PA6, HSCC is committed to continue to extend its industrial value chains to optimize synergies.

mrchub.com

Neste and ITOCHU are celebrating the first delivery of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel to Etihad Airways, one of the airlines of the United Arab Emirates, in Japan, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The delivery of Neste MY SAF to Etihad marks the first time in Japan that SAF will be supplied to an overseas airline at an airport in Japan. The SAF will be delivered to Etihad’s aircraft at Narita International Airport. This milestone is a result of the recently expanded partnership between Neste and ITOCHU to grow the availability of sustainable aviation fuel in Japan. ITOCHU acts as the branded distributor of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel in Japan, making Neste’s SAF available first at the two largest Japanese international airports: Tokyo Haneda and Narita.

SAF is a key element to achieving aviation’s emission reduction goals, and both Neste and ITOCHU are committed to supporting Japan in achieving the target of 10% SAF use by 2030, set by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (“MLIT”).

"This delivery of our Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel to Etihad is a major step forward in further growing the use of our sustainable aviation fuel in the Japanese market,” says Sami Jauhiainen, Neste’s Vice President, Asia-Pacific, Renewable Aviation. “Our partnership with ITOCHU aims to support domestic and international airlines as well as other fuel suppliers at Haneda and Narita International Airports in accelerating the adoption of SAF to reduce the carbon emissions of flying. I’m excited to see this partnership is already achieving concrete results and I look forward to supporting more airlines in Japan going forward."

“This delivery of SAF to Etihad Airways is the result of the partnership with Neste, and we are glad to be the first company to supply SAF to an overseas airline in Japan. ITOCHU will continue to cooperate with Neste and airlines departing from Japanese airports, and contribute to the decarbonization of the airline industry through the stable supply of SAF”, says Tsuyoshi Matsumoto, ITOCHU’s general manager of Petroleum Trading Department.

Neste is committed to working together with the global aviation industry to achieve its emission reduction targets. Neste is currently expanding its SAF production capacity to 1.5 MMtons per annum by the end of 2023. That includes up to 1 MMtons of SAF production capacity in Neste’s Singapore refinery via the ongoing Neste Singapore Expansion Project, which will start operations by the end of the first quarter of 2023.

Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel is a solution for reducing the direct greenhouse gas emissions of flying immediately. It can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%*, in its neat form and over the life cycle, compared to fossil jet fuel. Neste-produced SAF is made from sustainably sourced, 100% renewable waste and residue raw materials. As a drop-in fuel it can be used with existing aircraft engines and airport fuel infrastructure, requiring no extra investment to them.

As per MRC, Neste and United Airlines announced that they have signed a new purchase agreement that provides United the right to buy up to 160,000 mtons (52.5 MM gallons) of Neste MY SAF over the next three years to fuel United flights at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, and potentially other airports, as well. With this agreement, United became the first U.S. airline to make an international purchase agreement for SAF.

As MRC reported earlier, Neste has a target to process annually over 1 MM tons of waste plastic from 2030 onwards. The company plans to use liquefied plastic waste as a raw material at its fossil oil refinery to upgrade it into high-quality drop-in feedstock for the production of new plastics.
mrchub.com

MRC) -- Chevron Corp will consolidate its exploration and production and refining units under a single executive, it said on Thursday, as the company sharpens its focus on U.S. oil and gas production and cost efficiency, said Reuters.

Chevron's decision to raise its U.S. output has been reinforced by global sanctions against Russian oil, following the Ukraine invasion in February. The consolidation comes after a streamlining two years ago that would cut about 10% of its workforce. The second largest U.S. oil producer has pledged to add 15% this year to its output in the top U.S. shale basin, which supplies about 23% of its global production.

The combined upstream, midstream and downstream business segments will report to a new executive vice president, Nigel Hearne, effective Oct. 1. Hearne will run the Oil, Products & Gas business, Chevron said. He previously was president of its Europe, Asia and Pacific production.

The company is also consolidating upstream operations into two regions – Americas Exploration & Production and International Exploration & Production. Americas will be run by Bruce Niemeyer and International by Clay Neff, it said. Jobs affected are mainly at the senior executive level, a spokesperson said.

The reorganization will "bring strategy, policy and business development into tighter alignment as we focus on leveraging our strengths to deliver lower carbon energy to a growing world," Chief Executive Michael Wirth said in a statement.

Chevron's U.S. oil and gas production rose 10% in the first quarter over a year earlier, while international output fell 8%. The company pumped 3.06 MMbpd in the first quarter. Production in the Permian, the largest U.S. shale basin, grew to a record 692,000 boepd. It recently lifted its full-year Permian guidance by 15% over 2021 to between 700,000 and 750,000 bpd. Wirth recently said Chevron was looking for U.S. acquisitions to enhance its natural gas and LNG operations.

As per MRC, Chevron and ExxonMobil have signed separate agreements with state energy company PT Pertamina to explore lower carbon business opportunities in Indonesia. Chevron signed an MoU through its subsidiary, Chevron New Ventures Pte. Ltd, and is looking at potential businesses in new geothermal technology, carbon offsets through nature-based solutions, carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), Pertamina said.

We remind that Chevron Phillips Chemical, a joint venture of Phillips 66 and Chevron, will make a final investment decision on a new cracker in far southeast Texas in 2022, followed by an FID in 2023 on an USD8 billion joint venture petrochemical complex along the US Gulf Coast in 2023.
mrchub.com

Worley announced it will be working with Phillips 66 Limited to integrate Shell’s carbon capture technology – CANSOLV – into the refinery and design the infrastructure required to export the CO2 into the proposed transport and storage network, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

"We’ve been working at the Humber Refinery for more than two decades, and we look forward to collaborating with Phillips 66 Limited and Shell on this significant project to reduce carbon dioxide emissions at scale,” said Brad Andrews, President at Worley.

Currently, the Humber region produces 40 percent of the UK’s industrial carbon emissions. This project supports Humber Zero, a first-of-a-kind project, and puts the Humber Refinery on track to become the first refinery in the world to reduce its carbon emissions using CANSOLV. This could provide a model for decarbonizing refineries and make a significant impact on the UK’s net-zero ambitions.

CANSOLV will be deployed to capture carbon produced in the refinery’s fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process. The technology has the potential to capture at least 95 percent of the CO2 in the FCC flue gas, compressing it before the gas is transported to be safely stored under the North Sea.

Humber Refinery General Manager Darren Cunningham, the Lead Executive for Phillips 66 in the UK, described the project as “hugely significant” from a technology perspective. "There are more than 300 FCCs in the world,” Cunningham said. “We would be developing technology that has the potential to decarbonize them. “We’re looking forward to working with the Shell team, which brings a huge amount of carbon capture experience to the table, and with Worley, delivering this important project to the region."

“This project is aligned with Worley’s focus and investment in capability to help decarbonize existing industrial assets in the UK and our purpose in delivering a more sustainable world,” said Andrews. The projected start-up of the facility is expected in 2027.

As per MRC, Worley has announced that its strategic partnership with Avantium Renewable Polymers is now progressing to the next phase. Worley previously announced the partnership on 29 January 2021. Following the recent positive final investment decision (FID), Worley and Avantium have signed a technology cooperation agreement and Worley will now deliver engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services to develop the Avantium flagship facility in Delfzijl, the Netherlands.

As per MRC, Worley has bagged a front-end engineering and design (FEED) services contract from Trinseo for its first-of-a-kind chemical recycling plant in Belgium. Trinseo is a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics and latex binders. The plant will use gasification technology to depolymerise post-consumer polystyrene waste into pure styrene. It’s a first-of-its-kind project on an industrial scale.
mrchub.com