-HollyFrontier Corp. today said it extended a recent turnaround at its El Dorado, Kansas, refinery by 10 days. The company said the refinery’s gas oil hydrotreater needed “significant” mechanical repairs, prompting a shift toward a lighter and sweeter crude slate after the turnaround.
-Officials are investigating the cause of a fire that broke out at Toledo Refining Co.’s refinery in Oregon, Ohio, on New Year’s Day. Via the Columbus Dispatch, the fire broke out at 10 a.m. Thursday and was under control by noon. No injuries were reported.
-Also on Thursday, a fire at a North Dakota truck-loading facility owned by Enbridge forced the company to shut down its pipeline in the state. Via the Global and Mail, Enbridge has since restarted the pipeline, but the fire had yet to be extinguished as of this morning. No casualties were reported.
-Williams Partners said earlier this week it expects to begin selling ethylene from its Geismar plant in January as commissioning efforts near completion. Previous reports said ethylene sales would resume in December. The company cited an “especially challenging” commissioning effort in the wake of a June 2013 explosion that killed two people.
-Lubrizol completed its acquisition of Weatherford’s oilfield chemicals and drilling fluid businesses. Lubrizol said it would combine the acquired divisions with its legacy energy and water business and Lubrizol Specialty Products to form a new business segment called Lubrizol Oilfield Solutions. The $750 million deal was announced last month.
