Recap the highs and lows of 2017 with BIC Magazine's top 10 most read articles for the year.
1. BP to spring seven projects online in 2017
Robert Dudley, group chief executive of BP talked about the struggles BP and the industry has faced within the past year and the advancements in the upcoming year. In terms of activity levels, more projects were brought in during 2017 than in the company's entire history. "These projects were initiated during the downturn and are very important projects for the company," Dudley said. "We're about 50-percent focused on oil, and within the next decade we'll be about 60 percent, considering these projects, which represents a shift for us."
2. Valero Port Arthur refinery caught fire
In mid-September, a storage tank caught fire at the Valero refinery in Port Arthur, Texas. The refinery had recently been shutdown due to Hurricane Harvey’s flooding and was working at 40-50% capacity.
3. Tellurian signs agreement with Bechtel to deliver Driftwood LNG
Tellurian Inc. and Bechtel Oil, Gas and Chemicals, Inc. entered into a lump sum, turnkey EPC agreement totaling $15.2 billion for the engineering, procurement, and construction of Driftwood LNG. The proposed export facility was set to be located near Lake Charles, Louisiana.
4. SB 54 adds new requirements for private refinery construction
Senate Bill 54 is not a traditional minimum wage or prevailing wage statue. It relies on federal and state environmental laws as a basis for setting wages in the private sector. The bill applies to workers engaged in construction, demolition, and maintenance work performed at Chemical manufacturing and processing facilities, such as refineries.
5. Exxon Mobil, Saudis finalize details on new plant in Corpus Christi
Exxon Mobil and the Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) joined in a new venture to build a massive petrochemical plant. They selected a 1,400 acres area outside the boundaries of Portland and Gregory.
6. Fire out at ExxonMobil's Beaumont refinery
Exxon Mobil Spokeswoman Ashley Alemayehu said the impacts on air quality were "below detectable limits" after the fire.
7. Amec Foster Wheeler wins EPC contract for a methanol plant in St. James Parish, Louisiana
Amec Foster was awarded a $604- million EPC fixed price contract as a part of a $1.85- billion methanol plant. The methanol plant was being developed by YCI, a US-based subsidiary of China's Shandong Yuhuang Chemical Company.
8. How DOT hours of service rules apply to oilfield drivers
Revisit DOT hours of service standard rules for truck drivers and bus drivers. See how they slightly vary for oilfield drivers and what exactly those regulations are.
9. Wood Group awarded 5-year maintenance service contract for Phillips 66 refinery
Wood Group was awarded a multi-million dollar contract by Phillips 66 in support for small capital construction projects and turnarounds to the Sweeny Refinery, southwest of Houston.
10. DowDuPont cuts jobs, closes plants in Breen’s plan for breakup
Investors were disappointed by DowDuPont's first earning reports. In New York, DowDuPont fell 1.7 percent to $72.05, after dropping as much as 2.4 percent. As they cut jobs and close plants, the company set out a longer timeline for their three-way split, now to be completed by August 2019.
