State Oil Co. of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) has let a contract to the SOCAR-KBR LLC joint venture to provide project management consultancy (PMC) for the ongoing modernization and expansion of the Heydar Aliyev refinery at Baku in Azerbaijan. Source: News
Petronas expects first FLNG facility to sail in second quarter
Malaysia’s state-owned Petronas said its first floating LNG (FLNG) facility is expected to sail in the second quarter. A Mar. 4 naming ceremony marked completion of construction at the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. (DSME) shipyard in Okpo, South Korea. Source: News
Algeria’s Sonatrach lets contracts for three new refineries
Algeria’s state-owned Sonatrach SPA has let a series of contracts to Amec Foster Wheeler (AFW) to provide front-end engineering and design (FEED) for three grassroots refineries that will add a total of 15 million tonnes/year in refining capacity in the country. Source: News
CERI: Low oil prices hurt Canadian economy
Persistence of low crude oil prices through 2021 would hurt more than help the Canadian economy by constricting oil-producing and affiliated industries, finds a study by the Canadian Energy Research Institute. Source: News
MARKET WATCH: Oil prices stay positive; ‘freeze’ meeting questioned
Light, sweet crude oil prices for April delivery on the New York market continued climbing Mar. 7, gaining $1.98 to settle at $37.90/bbl, but various Middle East high-ranking oil representatives have started questioning news reports regarding the scheduling of a production freeze meeting. Source: News
Gorgon LNG project starts production off Western Australia
Chevron Corp. has started LNG and condensate production at the Gorgon project on Barrow Island off the northwest coast of Western Australia. The first LNG cargo is expected to be shipped next week. Source: News
EIA projects monthly oil production decline for Permian
One year after the US shale oil production began its decline, output form the Permian basin is finally projected to follow suit. Source: News
Total opens new plant at Bayport operations
Total SA has commissioned a $100-million hydro de-aromatization (HDA) plant at its petrochemical manufacturing site in Bayport, Tex., that will produce a range of 40 different high-purity special fluids for use in a variety of industrial applications for US and international customers. Source: News
Pakistani exploration well flows 16 MMcfd of gas
Petroleum Exploration (Pvt.) Ltd. (PEL), a privately owned Pakistani company, has identified a hydrocarbon-bearing zone in the Lower Guru formation with its Aminah-1 exploration well drilled on Badin South block in the Sajjawal (Sindh) district. Source: News
Hundreds of disposal wells covered in Oklahoma earthquake response plan
More than 400 saltwater disposal wells covering 5,000 sq miles of central Oklahoma are part of an expanded earthquake response plan to deal with the state’s rise in earthquake activity. Disposal wells in the deep Arbuckle formation have been associated with induced seismicity. Source: News