-Chevron will shut down its Cape Town, South Africa, refinery from Feb. 13 to March 31 for routine maintenance and safety inspections, Reuters reports. Refinery manager Doug Pottenger said Chevron has contingency plans in place to mitigate possible fuel supply constraints during the maintenance period.
-Meanwhile, Chevron CEO John Watson today said $50 crude oil will not be enough to meet the world’s long-term energy needs. Via FuelFix, Watson said higher prices are needed in order for Chevron and other companies to pursue some of the multi-billion-dollar projects they have proposed in recent years.
-Southern Co. on Thursday said its new nuclear power plant in Georgia will be delayed 18 months and could cost $720 million extra. Via the Associated Press, the firms building the plant expect the first reactor at Plant Vogtle to be complete in mid-2019 and the second reactor to come on line the following year. Southern Co., however, has not accepted the new timeline.
-A pipeline that spilled nearly 3,000 gallons of brine in North Dakota earlier this month was not inspected by the state prior to installation, the Associated Press reports. A spokeswoman for the North Dakota Industrial Commission said the state has struggled to find qualified pipeline installation inspectors because candidates often opt for higher paying positions in the oil industry. Faced with a dearth of inspectors, North Dakota relies on affidavits from companies stating they have followed state-mandated procedures for smaller pipelines. The pipeline that ruptured is owned by Summit Midstream Partners.
-Meanwhile, a recent pipeline spill in Montana’s Yellowstone River has provided ammunition to both sides of the Keystone XL pipeline debate.
