-Tesoro confirmed planned maintenance on a unit at its Wilmington, California, refinery earlier this week. Via Reuters, Tesoro could not confirm the maintenance timeframe or the scope of the work.
-Meanwhile, crude processing increased by more than 350,000 barrels per day over the past three weeks as refineries passed the halfway point of maintenance season. Via Reuters, refinery runs are likely to increase by another 500,000-900,000 barrels per day in November and December, likely limiting any increase in crude oil supplies. (Crude stocks are 27% higher than they were at this time last year.) Refiners, however, face the challenge of selling excess supplies of propane and middle distillates.
-LyondellBasell appointed Thomas Aebischer executive vice president and CFO effective Jan. 1. Aebischer currently serves in the same position at cement, concrete and aggregates company Holcim. He has also worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers and the local tax authority in Bern, Switzerland.
