-ExxonMobil has delayed the planned sale of its Torrance, Calif., refinery in the wake of a Feb. 18 explosion that damaged an electrostatic precipitator, Reuters reports. The refinery, which was put up for sale last September, drew interest from several bidders, including PBF Energy and a West Coast private equity group. The sale could be delayed until early next year. ExxonMobil is said to be selling refineries that are not integrated with chemical plants and do not process North American crude.
-Meanwhile, U.S. refiners are relying more on North American crude than at any time in nearly 30 years, Bloomberg reports. According to the Department of Energy, domestic oil and imports from Canada and Mexico made up 85% of crude processed by U.S. refiners in January.
-Shell completed an upgrade of its ethylene cracker complex in Singapore, boosting the facility’s ethylene production capacity by 20%.
-LyondellBasell executive vice president Kevin Brown on Wednesday sent an open letter to union employees who are still on strike at the company’s Houston refinery. Brown said local negotiators are “not giving a clear picture” of what LyondellBasell has offered since the United Steelworkers union last month reached an agreement with Shell to end the nationwide strike. Brown said LyondellBasell has offered to follow the agreement in whole and go “above and beyond” on the issues of fatigue management and maintenance headcount.
-Oneok Partners entered a 50-50 joint venture with Mexican firm Fermaca Infrastructure B.V. to build a natural gas pipeline from the Permian Basin to Mexico.
