-Valero appointed Jack Merrill general manager of its Meraux, La., refinery. Via the New Orleans Times-Picayune, former Meraux plant manager Lauren Bird is relocating to Valero’s McKee Refinery in the Texas Panhandle to serve as its vice president and general manager. Merrill is a 32-year veteran of the refining industry who previously served as director of operations at Valero’s Texas City, Texas, refinery.
-BP’s top downstream executive is stepping down later this year, the company announced today. Iain Conn, who has served as group managing director and chief executive for downstream for the past seven years, will leave BP Oct. 1. He is reportedly in line to become the next CEO of British utility firm Centrica. Tufan Erginbilgic, who currently serves as COO of BP’s global fuels business, will replace Conn at BP.
-The U.S. has sold its first condensate since federal authorities allowed a minimally refined version of the light oil to be legally exported. Via Reuters, South Korean oil refiner GS Caltex and Japanese refiner Cosmo Oil Co. bought cargoes of condensate, according to industry sources. The cargo bought by GS Caltex originated from Enterprise Products Partners — one of two firms allowed by the U.S. Commerce Department to export condensate.
-A fire that erupted at Red River Supply in Williston, N.D., burned dozens of chemicals stored at the facility, local officials said. Via the Associated Press, the North Dakota Department of Health Air Quality Division said air quality tests at the site showed levels that would not raise concern. The fire started Monday night and was mostly extinguished by Wednesday afternoon.
-Pemex is restarting its Ciudad Madero refinery in northern Mexico following a gas storage tank fire that broke out Wednesday. Pemex is using water to cool the walls of the tank as a preventative measure.
