Sunoco to set up JV refinery with Carlyle Group LP

(Reuters) - Sunoco Inc announced exclusive talks with private equity firm Carlyle Group LP on a potential joint venture to run the biggest refinery on the U.S. East Coast, saying it would delay a planned closure of the Philadelphia plant by a month.

The talks with Carlyle could save the 330,000 barrel-per-day refinery from permanent closure, easing concerns that the East Coast may face a fuel shortage this summer after several major plants were shuttered.

Oil markets are closely watching to see if Sunoco finds a buyer for the plant, one of three refineries on the East Coast threatened with closure due to weak profits. It first put the plant up for sale in late 2011, but has failed to find much interest from traditional energy firms.

MRC

Eastman said its products including chemicals, fibers and plastics are used as key ingredients in everyday products.
Headquartered in the US, Eastman produces coatings, adhesives, specialty polymers, inks and fibers by utilising propane, ethane, butane, high sulfur coal, natural gas, wood pulp and acetone as feedstocks.

Eastman manufactures performance chemicals and intermediates, polymers and specialty plastics as well as supplies cellulose acetate fibers and produces PET polymers.

MRC

(oilandgasrecruiting) -- BASF India Limited will invest EUR150 million to set up a new chemical production site at the Dahej Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR), located on the west coast of India in Gujarat.

The new site will be an integrated hub for polyurethane manufacturing and will also house production facilities for care chemicals and polymer dispersions for coatings and paper.

With this new production site, BASF aims to ensure local supply for growing markets and industries such as appliances, footwear, automotive, construction, adhesives, architectural coatings, paper and personal care. The start of production is planned for 2014. The project will be financed by BASF India Limited through internal accruals and loans.

The integrated polyurethane facility will produce Elastollan TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane), Cellasto NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) parts and Polyurethane Systems, which is supported by new production facilities for important precursors, comprising Polyetherols and Polyesterols plants as well as an MDI splitter.


MRC

(infineum) -- Infineum, a global provider of petroleum additives, has broken ground for its first salicylate plant outside Europe.

To be located in Singapore's energy and chemical hub Jurong Island, the plant will manufacture salicylate detergents, when fully operational in the fourth quarter of 2013. This USD150 million plant is Infineum's largest investment to date. Infineum is a joint venture between Shell and ExxonMobil.

Salicylates are used as additives in motor oils for passenger cars and trucks, and also has applications in marine and gas engine oils. The Singapore plant will serve the Asia-Pacific region and complement its sister plant located in Berre, France.

Infineum Singapore global business manager, specialities Lim Siang Yong said: "We invest only to meet the market growth. "Our customers have told us that this market, especially in Asia Pacific, is going to grow significantly beyond the global average. And this is the reason why we invested in Singapore for the first salicylate plant."

MRC

(Reuters) - Lyondell Basell's 280,390 barrel per day (bpd) Houston refinery restarted a coking unit on Saturday following a power failure, according to a notice the refinery filed with Texas pollution regulators.

The coker was out of production for about an hour and a half on Saturday night following the power outage, according to the notice filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Only the coker was hit by a power failure, the notice said.

A coking unit increases the amount of refinable material in a barrel of oil and makes petroleum coke, a coal substitute, from residual crude.

mrclast.com