Alstom opens smart grid centre
DUBAI: Alstom, a leading provider of advanced electrical grid solutions, has opened its first smart grid centre in the Middle East in Dubai.

The Dubai facility will enable Altstom customers to locally develop and integrate software and perform factory acceptance tests on site, said a statement. Grégoire Poux-Guillaume, president of Alstom Grid, said: “Alstom Smart Grid Centre in Dubai is a cornerstone of the group’s commitment to the development of the smart grid in the UAE and the Middle East region.”

Libya’s oil output 441,000 bpd
TRIPOLI: Libya is currently producing 441,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil after the key El Sharara field resumed work, a spokesman for state-owned National Oil Corp (NOC) said. The El Sharara field was pumping 214,000 bpd, he said. NOC had resumed production there after protesters suspended their action.

Tullow declares force majeure 
NEW YORK: London-listed Tullow Oil has declared force majeure on its offshore exploration block in Guinea following a US regulatory investigation of its project partner Hyperdynamics. Guinea, one of Africa’s poorest nations despite abundant natural resources, has urged the G8 countries to help it trace crooked deals in a bid to crack down on corruption. 

GE wins major SEC order
JEDDAH: GE Power Conversion has won two orders worth $23 million to supply highly efficient and flexible components for Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), the region’s largest power generation utility. GE was awarded a contract to supply 24 18-megawatt (MW) MV7000 variable speed drives (VSD) to SEC’s Jeddah South and Shuqaiq Steam Power Plants. Each project consists of four 660-MW power blocks and is considered as one of the largest steam power plants globally.

Mitsui joins DME as trading partner
DUBAI: Mitsui & Company Energy Trading Singapore (Mitsui) has become the latest trading member of Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME), the Middle East’s premier international energy futures and commodities exchange. This development reflects a sustained increase in interest from major global players responding to growing energy demand from Asia, said a statement from DME.

El Palito shuts to do work
CARACAS: Venezuela’s 146,000 barrel per day El Palito oil refinery this week will begin a 12-day maintenance of its conversion complex, state oil company PDVSA said.

The conversion complex includes the fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) of the refinery and other smaller units.

“The refining complex guarantees fuel supplies to the central and western regions of the country,” PDVSA said.

Hellenic to resume output
ATHENS: Hellenic Petroleum will resume production at its Thessaloniki refinery after a halt of at least four months caused by poor economic conditions, a source familiar with the situation said.

“A decision has been taken to restart Thessaloniki soon and then keep production uninterrupted throughout 2014,” the source told Reuters without elaborating on when exactly operations would resume.

PDVSA, Perenco sign deal
CARACAS: Anglo-French oil company Perenco signed a deal with Venezuela’s state oil firm PDVSA to provide $420 million to boost output at their joint venture in the Opec nation.

The daily output of the Petrowarao joint venture, which produces in the east and the west of the South American country, was about 4,500 barrels of crude, said Petroleum Minister Rafael Ramirez.

“This financing will be concentrated on increasing output at our joint venture to at least 24,000 bpd,” he told reporters.

Petrobras finds new oil
RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil’s state-run oil company, Petroleo Brasileiro, said that it had discovered new, good-quality oil deposits in the so-called sub-salt region.

The company, known as Petrobras, said the discovery was made in the Florim and Iara fields in the offshore Santos basin. Petrobras expects to continue exploration around the two wells until September.

Reliance to shut units
SINGAPORE: India’s largest private oil refiner Reliance Industries Ltd plans to shut one of its four crude distillation units (CDU) for regular maintenance in March, the company said.

The CDU will be shut from March 20 for about 3-1/2 weeks.

Alon reports FCCU upset
NEW YORK: Alon USA Energy reported its 67,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Big Spring, Texas, refinery returned to normal operations after a short-term upset at a gasoline-making fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU), according to a filing with state pollution regulators.

The FCCU malfunction that lasted for less than an hour caused flaring at the refinery, the filing with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said.

Enbridge reports crude spill
NEW YORK: Enbridge reported a crude oil spill at the Trenton station of its 475,000-barrel-per-day North Dakota Pipeline Company LLC (NDPL) system, according to a report with state environment regulator, made public. Three barrels of crude oil were spilled due to a pump leak, the filing with the North Dakota Dept of Health, Environmental Health Section said.

Enel, Saipem to form JV
MILAN: Italy’s biggest utility Enel and oil services company Saipem will sign an agreement in coming months to plan and build thermal power plants round the world, two sources familiar with the matter said. “The idea is for the two companies to pool their respective technical expertise in the field. A memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed near summer,” one of the sources said.

FMC to split into two firms
NEW YORK: Chemical manufacturer FMC Corp said it would split into two companies, one comprising its minerals business and the other its agricultural solutions, health and nutrition business.

FMC said the split would be through a tax-free distribution of shares in the new companies to its shareholders.

Ineos starts maintenance
LONDON: Ineos started planned maintenance work at the 210,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Grangemouth refinery in Scotland at the weekend, industry sources said.

Traders said the company’s traders had been buying diesel in northwest Europe ahead of the shutdown. Earlier industry intelligence group Genscape said the plant’s 65,000 bpd crude distillation unit (CDU) and a sulphur recovery unit (SRU) were shut, and excess emissions were observed from the gasoline-making fluid catalytic converter unit. )

Shell’s pipeline still shut
NEW YORK: Royal Dutch Shell’s entire Houston-to-Houma crude oil pipeline remained shut, following a reported leak, the company said.

Construction crew members accidentally punctured the Ho-Ho line near Port Neches, Texas, about 100 miles east of Houston, releasing about 364 barrels of crude oil. (Full Story)

“I am unable to speculate on how long the line will remain shut down,” said Destin Singleton, a Shell spokeswoman.

Husky begins maintenance
NEW YORK: Husky Energy said it would begin planned maintenance at its 160,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Lima, Ohio, refinery this week.

The work is scheduled for about 18 days and it would bring the Lima refinery’s capacity down to about 60 percent over the month of March, the company said.

Husky Energy said planned work would be conducted on several processing units and associated equipment. “Various projects are scheduled throughout March,” it added.

Exxon reports malfunction
HOUSTON: A malfunction at ExxonMobil Corp’s 238,600 barrel per day Joliet, Illinois refinery was due to fire damage on instrumentation, the company said in a notice filed with Illinois pollution regulators.

The malfunction triggered the refinery’s safety flare system which burned off nitrogen oxide, according to the notice filed with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. An Exxon spokeswoman said there was a brief fire at the Joliet refinery.

Marathon completing work
NEW YORK: Marathon Petroleum Corp said it was completing planned turnaround work at its 80,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) Texas City, Texas, refinery and was starting to bring some of the refinery units back on line.

The company reported flaring during a startup activity at the refinery on Monday, in a filing with state pollution regulators.

Shell restarting unit
NEW YORK: Royal Dutch Shell is restarting an unspecified unit at its upgrader facility at the Scotford refinery near Edmonton, Alberta, it said in a message posted on a community information line.

It runs a 255,000-barrel-per-day oil sands upgrader facility and a 100,000 bpd refinery at Scotford.

There could be increased flaring over the next 24 hours, but there will be no material impact on production, the company said.

The refinery reported it was restarting an unspecified unit at the facility.

Statoil drills dry well
OSLO: Norway’s Statoil has drilled a dry well in the North Sea, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said. The well was drilled in production license 248 C some 5 kilometres from the Fram field. Statoil has a 60-per cent stake in the license, while state-owned firm Petoro has the remaining 40 per cent.

Asry marks milestone
MANAMA: Bahrain’s Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard (Asry) has announced six vessels underwent repair simultaneously on its dual slipways, which is a record for the leading ship and rig repair yard in the Gulf.

This, the yard said, was a sign that its small and medium sized vessel repair business continued to flourish since the opening of its state-of-the-art slipways. Slipway occupancy at Asry has risen year-on-year since they were opened in 2008, with last year’s revenues attributed directly to slipway work increasing 7.24 per cent over the previous year.

Bahrain surplus power
MANAMA: Bahrain is now producing 850MW of surplus power, according to a top government official.

Minister of State for Electricity and Water Affairs Dr Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza said it is sufficient to take care of the kingdom’s needs, taking into consideration a five per cent annual increase in power consumption. Total power generation is expected to reach 3,923 MW this summer, he said, adding that the Electricity and Water Authority may resort to GCC Power Grid, if required. Meanwhile, consumption this summer is expected to reach 3,080 MW and the 850 MW surplus will ensure a safe network performance, Dr Mirza said.

Drilling firm set for IPO
DUBAI: Dubai-headquartered Shelf Drilling, owned by Australia’s Champ Private Equity, is gearing up for listing on the London Stock Exchange in the next two months.

Shelf Drilling was formed 16 months ago by Champ to run $1 billion worth of shallow water oil rigs. The Australian company said it plans to bypass the local share market to list on the London Stock Exchange in May.

“We’re in the process of moving for a listing of that business on the London Stock Exchange hopefully in mid-May,” Nathaniel Childres, Champ managing director, told an Asian Venture Capital Journal conference.

Egypt to permit coal
CAIRO: Egypt, which has been cutting back on natural gas supplies to cement factories, said it would permit cement companies to use coal for energy.

The government hopes to forestall an energy crisis this summer and the likelihood of sustained gas shortages in the coming years.

“We will let cement companies use coal ... but in parallel they must abide by strict environmental regulations,” Industry and Investment Minister Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour told a news conference. He said the first factory to begin running on coal will do so in September.

The move had been debated for months by the military-backed government installed after the army ousted President Mohamed Mursi last July.

Qatar exports 11 mtpa LPG
TOKYO: Qatar is expected to export around 10 to 11 million tonnes per year of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) between 2014 and 2017 before domestic petrochemical consumption reduces exports in 2018, state marketer Tasweeq said.

“We are now consistently exporting almost around 11 million tonnes per annum,” Tasweeq’s CEO Saad Al Kuwari told the International LP Gas Seminar in Tokyo.