- Key Market Prices
- WTI Settles Above US$73/bbl
- Margins & Economics
- U.S. Crude Stocks Remain at 20-Year High
- WTI Reverses Direction, Tops $73/bbl
- Fuels & Processing
- UOP Wins BTL Project Contract from Rentech
- Bangladesh Eastern Refinery Ltd. Expansion Draws Interest
- Inbicon Makes First Ethanol Delivery to Statoil
- Enerkem Launches Gasification-Based WTE Ethanol Plant Construction
- Transportation & Logistics
- Chrysler Plans to Name 165 Fiat 500EV Dealers
- NGV Filling Station OK’d In Colorado
- Diesel Cars Beat EVs on Life-Cycle Enviro Impact: Swiss Study
- Analysts: 3.2 Million Electric Vehicles to Be Sold By 2015
- U.K.: Fleets Likeliest to Buy EVs, Tap Government Grants
- Daihatsu, Toyota Develop Hydrous-Ethanol-Tolerant Vehicle
Fuels & Processing
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UOP Wins BTL Project Contract from Rentech
UOP officials announced September 1 that their “Unionfining” and “Unicracking” processes were selected for Rentech’s in-development “Rialto” biomass-to-liquids (BTL) project in California.
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Bangladesh Eastern Refinery Ltd. Expansion Draws Interest
Bangladesh’s only refinery near the Chittagong port is operated by Eastern Refinery Ltd., a subsidiary of Bangladesh Petroleum Corp., which owns and operates a near Chittagong Port, the nation’s sole refinery. BPC recently circulated a request for partners for an expansion project at this 30,000 barrel per day (b/d) refinery, and we have new indications of a strong second response.
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Inbicon Makes First Ethanol Delivery to Statoil
Inbicon, part of Dong Energy, on August 26 made its first delivery of ethanol made from wheat straw to European oil and gas company Statoil.
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Enerkem Launches Gasification-Based WTE Ethanol Plant Construction
Montreal-based Enerkem officials announced August 31 that they’ve begun construction on what they’re describing as the “world’s first municipal waste-to-biofuels” ethanol plant in Edmonton, Alberta.
Feature
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Nissan Offers Two Versions of Leaf EV; 30-Minute Charge Option
Nissan officials announced August 31 that they’re now taking customer orders in North America for two variations on the 2011 model-year Leaf electric vehicle (EV), including an “SL” version that carries an optional US$700 “quick-charge” system.
Key Market Prices
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WTI Settles Above US$73/bbl
Transportation & Logistics
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Chrysler Plans to Name 165 Fiat 500EV Dealers
U.S. automaker Chrysler Group LLC expects to name at least 165 dealers throughout the country to market the Fiat 500 electric vehicles (EVs) later this year, according to an August 30 company announcement.
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NGV Filling Station OK’d In Colorado
City officials in Grand Junction, Colo., have authorized the use of two grants for the construction of a natural gas vehicle (NGV) filling station.
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Diesel Cars Beat EVs on Life-Cycle Enviro Impact: Swiss Study
Several commercial diesel cars such as today’s Euro 5 Volkswagen and Ford vehicles sold in Europe actually can deliver a better net life-cycle environmental impact than pure battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), according to a new study by the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) agency.
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Analysts: 3.2 Million Electric Vehicles to Be Sold By 2015
Global sales of plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) could total 3.2 million by 2015, according to a Sept. 1 market report by Pike Research.
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U.K.: Fleets Likeliest to Buy EVs, Tap Government Grants
U.K. Energy Savings Trust (EST) officials announced August 31 that they’re expecting vehicle fleet operators in Britain to take advantage of government grants covering 25% of the purchase price of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) or an all-electric vehicle (EV), up to a maximum of £5,000 (US$7,675).
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Daihatsu, Toyota Develop Hydrous-Ethanol-Tolerant Vehicle
While Brazilian automakers have built flex-fuel car engines and fuel systems that can tolerate consumer switching between commercial gasoline-ethanol (anhydrous) blends and hydrous ethanol, as well as cars dedicated exclusively for hydrous ethanol, such technology is a rarity elsewhere.
Margins & Economics
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U.S. Crude Stocks Remain at 20-Year High
U.S. crude stockpiles rose more than expected and oil product inventories declined as refiners processed less crude, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) report for the week ended August 27.
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WTI Reverses Direction, Tops $73/bbl
NYMEX light sweet crude for October delivery finished at US$73.91 per barrel (/bbl), up $1.99 per barrel (/bbl) on September 1 as gains in the manufacturing sector eased fears about the strength of the global recovery.
Public Policy
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US$3.5 Million Goes to Alternative Fuel Tech in California
The California Energy Commission (CEC) on August 25 announced its approval of four awards for more than US$3.5 million in state funding with $9.5 million in private funds to demonstrate alternative fuel technologies across California.
