January 2, 2019:

Operator of SP 13 project Payam Motamed was quoted by SHANA as saying that the refinery’s full gas sweetening capacity was operational as its 4th and last train had come online. He said the train had the capacity of processing 6 mcm/d of rich gas for injection to the national gas distribution network. Other trains of the refinery could process 14 mcm/d of gas, he added. Motamed further said that the refinery was currently being fed by the gas recovered from phase 6 to 8 of the supergiant gas field which is shared by Iran and Qatar. Phase 13 is being developed for production of 56 mcm/d of rich gas, 75,000 b/d of gas condensates, 400 tons/day of sulfur and 1.05 million tons per year of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and a million tons per year of ethane.

By MEHR News Agency

January 2, 2019:

With the implementation of this giant project, youth experts showed that they enjoy high potentials and capabilities and can materialize most economic objectives of the country.  He made the remarks in his visit to Hormozgan province and inspected various production units of Persian Gulf Gas Condensates Refinery.  Upon implementation of this giant project, experts of Khatam ol-Anbiya construction base showed that they can work in the best way, without relying upon the assistance of foreign companies.  Chief of General Staff of Iranian Armed Forces Bagheri once again reiterated that construction of Persian Gulf Star Refinery is a symbol of self-confidence and capabilities of youth in the country.  As the largest gas condensates refinery in the world, Persian Gulf Star Refinery is the first refinery designed based on nationwide gas condensates feedstock. The refinery enjoys the capacity of refining 360,000 barrels of oil per day constructed in three phases with the aim of daily production of 37 million liters of Euro-5 gasoline, 14 million liters of gas oil, four million liters of liquid gas and three million liters of jet fuel.

By MEHR News Agency

January 2, 2019:

India’s biggest refiner expects Iran to invest in a refinery expansion project at one of its subsidiaries after New Delhi decided to facilitate the repayment of about $1.5 billion in outstanding debt to Tehran.   Indian Oil Corp Ltd plans to invest up to 356.98 billion rupees ($5.1 billion) at the Nagapattinam refinery run by its subsidiary Chennai Petroleum Corp Ltd in which Naftiran Intertrade holds a 15.4 percent stake.  Doubts have been raised about Iran’s participation after India cut back its Iranian crude oil imports following US sanctions but India’s decision to exempt rupee payments to Iran for crude oil imports from taxes may have encouraged Tehran.  On Wednesday, Indian Oil chairman Sanjiv Singh was quoted as saying that Iran has not ruled out participating in the expansion of the 20,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery in Southern Tamil Nadu state.  Chennai Petroleum plans to boost capacity at the Nagapattinam facility by nine-fold to 180,000 bpd at a cost of the 27,500 crore rupees and its Managing Director S.N. Pandey expects Naftiran to commit 1,500 crore rupees. 

Naftiran Intertrade is a trading arm of state-owned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) based in Switzerland. Its presence in India is focused on surging fuel demand that has turned the country into a prized market for global oil producers.  Iran has been a reliable source of crude for India which got an exemption from US sanctions in November to continue imports.  However, the sanctions have led to a debt buildup, with the Iranian oil money being kept in India’s government-owned UCO Bank in the Indian currency.  Making the matters worse, the income deposited in an Indian bank is subject to a withholding tax of 40 percent plus other levies which render Iran’s oil sales to India ridiculously cheap.  With the payments frozen by the refiners, the Indian government has reportedly intervened and exempted rupee payments to Iran from the steep tax.      

An Indian Oil official was quoted on Monday as saying that the company would start making payments to Iran from January.  According to Reuters, India’s overall imports from Iran totaled about $11 billion in April-November 2018, with oil accounting for about 90 percent of the imports.  Iran can now use its rupee funds to import goods from India, pay the costs of its diplomatic missions or make direct investment in Indian projects because it cannot repatriate the money.  Pandey said that Chennai Petroleum is also building a petrochemicals plant of about 475,000 tons per annum capacity.  One Indian government official explained that in the previous round of sanctions Iran was allowed to use funds for imports from India “but this time, we have expanded the scope for use of funds to benefit both nations.”

By PRESSTV

January 1, 2019:

A contractor working at the Husky Energy refinery in Superior said the April 26 explosion at the refinery sent him 15 feet into the air, resulting in severe injuries when he hit the floor, according to a lawsuit filed against the refinery and its owners. Contractor Taylor Mayr of Houston, Texas, argued in a November complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Madison that Husky Energy, Inc. and Superior Refining Company LLC were negligent in operating the refinery, conducted “extra hazardous and/or ultrahazardous and abnormally dangerous activities” and are responsible for over $75,000 in damages to him because the blast left him with “permanent and severe injuries.” Mayr, employed by Evergreen North America Industrial Services and tasked with chemical cleanup as the refinery shut down for maintenance in late April, was working near the fluid catalytic cracking unit, where the explosion occurred as crews worked to shut it down for planned maintenance, according to the compliant. When the blast occurred shortly after 10 a.m. on April 26, “The initial shock wave caused by the explosion launched (Mayr) fifteen ... plus feet in the air and hurled him to the floor,” the complaint states. “As a result (Mayr) suffered severe injuries.”

The April 26 refinery explosion and subsequent asphalt fire led to 36 injuries, according to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, and prompted the evacuation of much of Superior. Lawyers representing Mayr did not respond to questions Monday afternoon, Dec. 31, about the extent of Mayr’s injuries. Husky Energy also did not respond to a request for comment. Citing the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board’s ongoing investigation into the blast, Mayr’s complaint argues Husky “failed to exercise due care in the maintenance and monitor of the Husky Superior Refinery so as to prevent fires, explosions, or other harm to individuals, including (Mayr).” In August, the board said a worn-out spent catalyst valve within the fluid catalytic cracking unit allowed air to mix with hydrocarbons, creating an explosive mixture that then contacted an ignition source. Then in October, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the company’s Process Hazard Analysis — a document explaining risks involved in an industrial process and operating procedures — failed to address what might happen if the valve seal failed. Although OSHA and the board conducted separate investigations, additional information released by the board in December mirrored OSHA’s findings.

The board said the refinery’s “process hazard analyses,” also described by the board as a “safeguard,” only considered what would happen when the valve was open, not what would happen if it was closed but unable to hold a seal. Mayr’s lawsuit is not the first filed against Husky Energy and Superior Refining Company in the wake of the refinery explosion and fire. A lawsuit filed by contractors in August claims workers heard a “strange knocking noise” shortly before the explosion but were ordered to return to work after they expressed concern. The explosion then occurred within 30 to 40 minutes of returning work, the lawsuit said. A class action complaint filed by several Superior residents in August argue Husky displayed negligence, nuisance, trespass on land and strict liability — extrahazardous and/or ultrahazardous activity before, during and after the fire and evacuation. 

By dglobe.com

January 1, 2019:

The Independent Petroleum Marketer Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), South-West Chapter, has urged the Federal Government to encourage investors to invest in the nation’s modular refinery to boost economic growth. Its South-West Zonal Chairman, Alhaji Debo Ahmed, on Monday told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, that unless government makes the processes less cumbersome, it would be difficult to attract investors. According to him, government should make the acquisition of licences timely and also ensure infrastructure development as well as security of assets. “Government should also provide additional incentives to investors to facilitate the establishment of modular refineries in the country. “`Incentives in the form of tax reliefs, customs and excise duties, value added tax waivers and accelerated capital allowances will help to boost investments in the refining space,’’ he said. Ahmed said that investing in modular refineries would also serve as a way to end fuel scarcity. He said that the modular refineries could help to address any shortfall in fuel supply pending when additional refineries would be built.

By www.dailytrust.com.ng