The Oil and Gas Journal articles from September 1997

The Oil and Gas Journal archives from September 1997

The global petroleum outlook is generally positive.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... The global petroleum outlook is generally positive. World oil demand growth for 1997 will be greater than anticipated, says Venezuelan Energy and Mines Minister Erwin Jose Arrieta Valera. Arrieta predicts 1997 oil use will increase by...

On the downside, net earnings for Canadian oil companies declined 27.8% in second quarter 1997 due to weaker crude and products prices.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... On the downside, net earnings for Canadian oil companies declined 27.8% in second quarter 1997 due to weaker crude and products prices. Federal agency Statistics Canada said operating profits of petroleum producers dropped to $3 billion...

Amoco is realigning its E&P arm to take a more integrated approach to its upstream business. (Amoco Energy Development Co.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Amoco is realigning its E&P arm to take a more integrated approach to its upstream business. New unit Amoco Energy Development Co. will assess opportunities and acquire interests in international production operations and pursue and...

Phillips is joining BP, ARCO, Exxon, Yukon Pacific, and Alaska in a study of a proposed Alaskan North Slope (ANS) gas export project.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Phillips is joining BP, ARCO, Exxon, Yukon Pacific, and Alaska in a study of a proposed Alaskan North Slope (ANS) gas export project. The study will examine the viability of producing ANS gas, transporting it across Alaska, converting it to...

Privatization measures are gaining speed in the eastern hemisphere. (India, Algeria, Kuwait consider oil privatization proposals)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Privatization measures are gaining speed in the eastern hemisphere. India's Oil & Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) has appointed DeGolyer & McNaughton to assess reserves in its Neelam oil field. In appointing the consultants, ONGC...

The flurry of activity and controversy in the Caspian Sea area continues.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... The flurry of activity and controversy in the Caspian Sea area continues. At presstime, Turkmenistan was set to announce Sept. I an international tender for geological survey and development of petroleum in its sector of the Caspian shell...

Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana are working together to snatch from Chevron Nigeria a contract to supply gas to Ghana's Takoradi power station.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana are working together to snatch from Chevron Nigeria a contract to supply gas to Ghana's Takoradi power station being constructed by Volta River Authority, the country's main electricity supplier. If the plan...

Colombia's Minister of Mines and Energy, Rodrigo Villamizar, has resigned because of his role in a scandal.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Colombia's Minister of Mines and Energy, Rodrigo Villamizar, has resigned because of his role in a scandal involving a telephone conversation with another cabinet member. The conversation, which was intercepted and published, allegedly...

Greenpeace activists have boarded an oil rig off the Dutch coast to protest North Sea exploration.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Greenpeace activists have boarded an oil rig off the Dutch coast to protest North Sea exploration. The move follows similar actions off Alaska and the U.K. (OGJ, Aug. 25, 1997, Newsletter). The rig, belonging to Dutch oil group NAM was under...

Overregulating G&G data. (geological and geophysical data for offshore fields)(Editorial)
September 1, 1997... The U.S. Minerals Management Service should follow advice of the oil and gas industry and cancel its proposed changes for handling geological and geophysical (G&G) data from the Outer Continental Shelf. At stake is nothing less than booming...

Non-U.S. firms making their marks in sizzling Gulf of Mexico plays.(includes related articles on Marathon Oil Co. and Crescendo Resources L.P.)
September 1, 1997... Once the domain of U.S. oil and gas companies, non-U.S. companies are swelling the ranks of players in the sizzling Gulf of Mexico exploration and development plays. Lured by the potential for finding significant reserves in a conducive...

Deep water focus of latest record Gulf sale. (Gulf of Mexico lease auction)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Deepwater tracts dominated a strong western Gulf of Mexico offshore lease sale last week in New Orleans. Operators submitted high bids totaling $616,212,499 on 804 tracts in Sale 168. They filed a record 1,224 bids, exposing $939,196,128....

Another jack up restored to Gulf of Mexico service.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Another jack up has been refurbished and restored to service in the tight Gulf of Mexico rig market. Strong demand for rigs of all types, in tandem with shrinkage of the rig fleet since the mid-1980s, has pushed Gulf of Mexico rig fleet...

BP proves diverless connection method in Foinaven.(BP Exploration Operating Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... BP Exploration Operating Co. Ltd. has speeded recovery work in Foinaven oil field in U.K.'s West of Shetland area, by means of the world's first diverless reconnection of a standard flanged subsea assembly. Development of Foinaven has been...

U.K. operators start up three oil fields.
September 1, 1997... U.K. offshore operators continue to exploit small discoveries near maturing giants. Three new oil field developments were brought on stream in as many days last month: * On Aug. 9, Amerada Hess Ltd. began production from Block 21/11...

MMS issues. (Minerals Management Service)
September 1, 1997... The Minerals Management Service is at odds with industry on several major issues these days, and new ones keep popping up (see editorial, p. 21). Most of the controversy stems from the agency's effort to change its rules governing how oil...

Statoil results off Ireland not good.(Statoil UK Ltd.'s disappointing well test)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Ireland's hopes of becoming an oil producing nation have received a blow with Statoil (U.K.) Ltd. reporting "disappointing" results from an extended well test in Connemara find on offshore Block 26/29. Although figures have not been...

EIA: deregulation could cut power costs. (Energy Information Administration)
September 1, 1997... The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that competition in the electricity generation business could reduce average electricity prices for end-use consumers in most regions of the U.S. However, the EIA study warned that many of...

U.K.'s radical transport plan. (United Kingdom Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott recommends transportation plan for his country's crowded roads)(Watching the World)(Column)
September 1, 1997... When a government minister says, "We want to take a wider, more strategic view" of something, anybody connected with that particular something naturally prepares for the worst. When John Prescott, U.K. deputy prime minister, applied those...

New vehicle choices hiking U.S. fuels use. (more minivans and sport-utility vehicle purchases contributing to motor fuel consumption increase)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Changing vehicle preferences are contributing to increasing consumption of motor fuels in the U.S. Minivans and sport-utility vehicles are displacing traditional passenger vehicles in the residential transportation sector, according to the...

Phillips, Pdvsa ink coker, crude sale deal. (Petroleos de Venezuela SA and Phillips Petroleum Co.'s $500 million contract for coking unit)
September 1, 1997... A unit of Petroleos de Venezuela SA (Pdvsa) and Phillips Petroleum Co. have signed a $500 million deal to build a coking unit at Phillips's refining complex at Sweeney, Tex. Under the principles of agreement, signed late last month,...

Shell to buy Gulf U.K. operations. (Shell U.K. Ltd., Gulf Oil Ltd.)
September 1, 1997... Shell U.K. Ltd. is negotiating with Chevron Corp. to buy the U.K. retail operation, commercial fuels business, and lubricants blending interests operated by Chevron subsidiary Gulf Oil (Great Britain) Ltd. A Shell official told OGJ that...

A dynamic attack. (Colombia crude oil pipeline damage from guerrilla attacks)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... A dynamite attack damaged Colombia's main export pipeline last week, disrupting the flow of crude from wells in eastern Colombia to the export terminal at Covenas. The blast occurred along a northern stretch of the Cano Limon line and caused a...

Super Petroleum Co. (to build 135,000 b/d refinery, purchasing 150 acres from Port Qasim Authority)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Super Petroleum Co. (SPC), Pakistan, wants to purchase 150 acres from Port Qasim Authority, Karachi, for construction of a 135,000-b/d refinery. SPC is a unit of Switzerland's Supaveri Finance Holding Co., which appointed Veco Corp. project...

Georgia. (contract with Marubeni Corp. and JGC Corp. for oil refinery upgrade)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Georgia let a 30 billion yen contract to Japan's Marubeni Corp. and JGC Corp. to upgrade its only refinery, an obsolete 106,000-b/d plant at Batumi. Marubeni will help supply crude oil and assist in selling products. The contractors will...

Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (contract with Total SA, refinery upgrade)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) let contract to Total SA to repair and manage for 3 years its dilapidated 110,000-b/d refinery at Kaduna. The contract, valued at $100-200 million, is part of a larger agreement between NNPC and Total...

Sharjah Oil Refining Co. (oil refinery start-up date postponed to January 1998)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Sharjah Oil Refining Co., Sharjah, delayed commissioning of its 24,000-b/d refinery (OGJ, Jan. 15, 1996, p. 26). Procurement and utility problems will push start-up to January 1998 from October 1997. The refinery, originally 16,000 b/d, was...

Tesoro Alaska Petroleum Co. (contract to purchase Unocal Corp.'s crude oil from Alaska's Cook Inlet)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Tesoro Alaska Petroleum Co. agreed to purchase all of Unocal Corp.'s crude oil production from Alaska's Cook Inlet. Tesoro will process the crude at its 72,000 b/d Kenai, Alas., refinery. Unocal's Cook Inlet production is about 18,500 b/d....

U.K. Department of Trade and Industry. (to allow Saltend Cogeneration Co. to operate and build power plant)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... U.K. Department of Trade and Industry granted consent to Saltend Cogeneration Co. to build and operate a gas-fired combined heat and power plant at the Saltend, Hull, petrochemical complex of BP Chemicals Ltd. Saltend Cogeneration is a joint...

Unocal Corp.'s. (oil drilling platform destroyed in Attaka Echo, off East Kalimantan, Indonesia)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Unocal Corp.'s Attaka Echo platform off East Kalimantan, Indonesia, sank following a blowout and subsequent fire (OGJ, Aug. 25, 1997, p. 46). No casualties or oil spills occurred, but the 20-well platform was virtually destroyed, says Wild Well...

A joint venture of. (SA Consultores CSC and Productos Industriales Venezolanos SA, wins joint venture approval with Petroleos de Venezuela SA)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... A joint venture of Productos Industriales Venezolanos SA (Pivensa) and SA Consultores CSC won the right to enter into an operating agreement with Petroleos de Venezuela SA (Pdvsa) in Venezuela's Mata area in eastern Anzoategui state. Its bid...

Mossgas (Pty.) Ltd. (chooses contractors for E-M gas discovery in Mossel Bay, South Africa)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Mossgas (Pty.) Ltd. selected two contractors to compete for engineering design in development of E-M gas discovery in Mossel Bay, South Africa. The field will be developed to extend by about 6 years the supply of feedstock gas for Mossgas'...

Agincourt field. (Western Australia oil production by Apache Corp. and partners)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Agincourt field in the Carnarvon basin off Western Australia started production at 9,000 b/d of oil from one horizontal well, Agincourt No. 4-H. The well cut 750 ft of lateral pay in the Cretaceous Flag formation at about 6,000 ft, said...

Tullow Oil plc. (to develop natural gas potential of Sara field, East Badin Extension Block B, Pakistan)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Tullow Oil plc, London, received approval from the Pakistani government to develop Sara field on East Badin Extension Block B. Tullow will install a gas treatment plant in the field and a pipeline to nearby Guddu power station. Initial yield...

Santa Fe Energy Resources Inc. (oil production in North Geragai field on Sumatra's Jabung Block)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Santa Fe Energy Resources Inc., Houston, started production from North Geragai field on Sumatra's Jabung Block. Production was expected to reach 5,000 b/d by the end of August and 8,700 b/d in the fourth quarter. On the same block, Santa Fe's...

Basin Exploration Inc. (offshore oil well production in Gulf of Mexico, Eugene Island Block 65)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Basin Exploration Inc., Denver, started production from two wells on Eugene Island Block 65 in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana. Current production is 51 MMcfd of gas and more than 1,700 b/d of condensate, approaching pipeline and facility...

Apache Corp. (offshore testing for natural gas on Eugene Island Block, off Louisiana)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Apache Corp. tested its No. 41 horizontal well on Eugene Island Block 100 at 1,350 b/d of oil and 1.9 MMcfd of gas with flowing tubing pressure of 1,800 psi. Total production from the block is now 1,700 b/d. The well is being produced at a...

El Paso Energy Corp. (to purchase Gulf States Pipeline Co.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... El Paso Energy Corp. agreed to acquire all of Gulf States Pipeline Co.'s stock for about $39 million. Gulf States' principal asset is a 250-MMcfd, 175-mile gathering and transmission system in northwestern Louisiana. Gulf States will become a...

Fina Oil & Chemical Co. (west Texas pipe line)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Fina Oil & Chemical Co., Dallas, purchased rights-of-way for its West Texas pipeline project with Holly Corp., Dallas (OGJ, Apr. 14, 1997, p. 89). Fina let contract to Universal-Ensco Inc., Houston, to design the 60-mile pipeline, which will...

Nova Gas Transmission Ltd. (gas shipments, 1997)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Nova Gas Transmission Ltd., Calgary, says gas shipments in its Alberta pipeline system averaged 12.3 bcfd in first half 1997, up 2.7% from first hall 1996. Gas shipped to Nberta export points increased 2.6% to 1.9 tcf during the period. Exports...

Saudi Yanbu Petrochemical Corp. (contract for plant construction)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Saudi Yanbu Petrochemical Corp., a joint venture of Saudi Basic Industries Corp. and Mobil Corp., let contract to Tokyo firms Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Toyo Engineering Corp. and ABB Lummus Global Inc., Bloomfield, N.J., for an...

The Vietnamese government. (approves construction of PVC plant and operating license for 30 years)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... The Vietnamese government approved a 30-year operating license for a planned $70-million, 110,000 metric ton/year polyvinyl chloride plant to be built near Ba Ria-Vung Tau port, southeast of Ho Chi Minh City. Petronas, Marubeni, Petrovietnam...

Shell Gabon. (offshore oil discovery)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Shell Gabon discovered oil on the Kenguene Marin block off Gabon with Kenig-1, the third of three exploratory wells drilled in the permit area. The Glomar Adriatic V jack up drilled the wells in about 200 ft of water. Kenig-1 discovered oil in...

Talisman Energy Inc. (gas discovery in Alberta)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Talisman Energy Inc., Calgary, made two discoveries in western Canada. In the Edson, Alta., area, the Talisman Renata Apetowun 1-3-52-22W5M well, drilled to 14,635 ft TB, flowed 52.8 MMcfd of raw gas on initial test. The Talisman HZ Lovett...

Koch Oil Co. (acquired gas plant in Bakersfield, CA)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Koch Oil Co., Wichita, purchased ARCO Western Energy's North Coles Levee gas processing and NGL fractionation plant. Capacity of the plant, near Bakersfield, Calif., is 20 MMcfd of gas and 300,000 gpd of NGL. The purchase price was not...

Chiyoda Corp. (contract to build tanker scrapping facility)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Chiyoda Corp., Yokohama, won an 8 billion yen contract to construct jointly with a local firm an oil tanker scrapping facility in Gujarat state. The complex, slated for mid-1999 completion, will include a dock capable of dismantling eight...

Equitable Resources Energy Co. (divesting western US oil properties)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Equitable Resources Energy Co. (EREC), Houston, is selling its oil and gas properties in the western U.S. and Canada. Big West Oil & Gas Inc., North Salt Lake, Utah, will purchase for $33 million EREC properties in Wyoming's Powder River basin...

Shareholders of. (divesture of Lateral Vector Resources Inc.'s oil properties)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Shareholders of Lateral Vector Resources Inc. (LVR), Regina, Sask., approved LVR's plan to sell its Canadian oil and gas assets and associated liabilities to NCE Energy Trust, Calgary. NCE will purchase all shares of a wholly owned LVR...

Enron Corp. (bid to acquire stake in Kohinoor Energy Ltd. power plant)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Enron Corp. offered to buy 66.45 million shares (51%) of Kohinoor Energy Ltd.'s 120-MW heavy oil fuel oil-fired power project in Lahore, Pakistan. Enron reportedly offered 54c/share. Pakistan's Saigol Group, a project owner, will manage the...

A unit of TransCanada PipeLines Ltd. (TransCanada Energy Inc. to market gas directly to residential consumers)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... A unit of TransCanada PipeLines Ltd., Calgary, has established a direct-purchase natural gas service aimed at the Ontario consumer market. TransCanada Energy Inc. will operate Energy Plus, which will offer customers price discounts at fixed...

Amber Energy Inc. (oil sands leases)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Amber Energy Inc., Calgary, acquired 68 sections (53 net) of oil-sands leases for $12 million in the Wabasca/Pelican Lake area of Alberta from an undisclosed party. The company now owns an average 93% working interest in 196.5 net sections in...

Multilateral casing-exit technology eliminates floating rig heave.
September 1, 1997... The first-ever multilateral casing exit from a semisubmersible used an innovative rate of penetration control (ROPC) tool to neutralize vessel heave. This tool was pivotal in milling through the casing and liner positioned at the juncture of a...

Gravel packing prevents productivity decline. (horizontal oil wells)(Horizontal Completions - Conclusion)
September 1, 1997... Gravel packing horizontal wells has the advantage of creating superior productivity without the productivity decline observed with stand-alone screens. This conclusion of a three-part series, which began in OGJ July 21, 1997, shows how...

New lubes plants use state-of-the-art hydrodewaxing technology.(Focus: Refining)
September 1, 1997... Two new lubricant base oil plants are using state-of-the-art hydrodewaxing technology to produce clean, high-quality base stocks (Fig. 1). The hydroprocessed base stocks are particularly suited to producing new grades of finished...

Advanced control of hydrogen network reduces energy consumption.(Petro-Canada Products' Montreal petroleum refinery)(Focus:Refining)
September 1, 1997... Petro-Canada Products realized substantial energy savings by implementing advanced control of the hydrogen plant and hydrogen grid at its Montreal refinery. The hydrogen grid supplies all the high-purity hydrogen used in the refinery. The...

Enraf, Inc.(appoints Stephen S. Yon president and CEO)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Enraf, Inc., Houston, Tex., has named Stephen S. Yon president and CEO. Yon will be responsible for the North American sales and operations of the Houston-based subsidiary of Enraf B/V, headquartered in Delft, The Netherlands. Yon had...

The Scotia Group.(opens office in Houston, TX)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... The Scotia Group, Dallas, Tex., has opened a Houston office. The Scotia Group is an independent oil and gas advisory firm specializing in technical and economic evaluation of petroleum properties and companies. The group serves clients...

Dailey Petroleum Services Corp.(purchases Air Drilling International Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Dailey oleum Services Corp., Conroe, Tex., has completed the acquisition of Air Drilling International, Inc., a privately held company based in Denver. Air Drilling is a provider of underbalanced drilling services to the oil and gas...

Schlumberger Wireline & Testing.(opens client center study in Sugar Land, TX)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Schlumberger Wireline & Testing, Houston, Tex., has opened a client center for advanced studies in formation evaluation. Located in Sugar Land, Texas, the center--the first of its kind--will enable oil company geoscientists to solve outstanding...

BG Pipeline Integrity International (PII).(purchases Tecnomarine Systems Ltd.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... BG Pipeline Integrity International (PII) has acquired Tecnomarine Systems Ltd., Aberdeen. Tecnomarine provides high quality products and systems specifically designed to meet the isolation, intervention, connection and repair requirements...

More data point to potential in S. Colorado sub-basin.(Lexam Explorations (USA) Inc.'s oil exploration projects in Cretaceous sub-basin, S. Colorado)
September 1, 1997... Lexam Explorations (U.S.A.) Inc. encountered strong shows of oil in 27 of 42 shallow gold exploration wells it drilled in 1992-93 along the west flank of the Sangre de Cristo mountains in south central Colorado. This also happens to be...

Gas production climbs in Wyoming's Waltman field.
September 1, 1997... Barrett Resources Corp., Denver, was moving in four rigs in mid-August to drill in the Cave Gulch area beneath the Owl Creek thrust in the east-central Wind River basin of Wyoming. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management issued a decision on an...

Santos groups build Cooper/Eromanga gas reserves.(South Australia)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1997... Santos Ltd.-led groups made several recent Cooper-Eromanga basin discoveries. The Coolah 1, in ATP 259P, Southwest Queensland Unit, flowed 2.05 MMcfd of gas from Permian Toolachee open hole at 2,555-86 m. It is the sixth well to assess the...

India's oil subsidies.(Editorial)
September 8, 1997... Images from India, which just last month celebrated 50 years of independence, are gloomy: politicians leading blockades to protest rising prices of oil products, poor people worried about fuel for basic needs, upstart manufacturing executives...

Can the E&P industry avoid future shock?(oil and gas exploration and production)
September 8, 1997... The recent burst of energy in the oil and gas exploration and production business marks a stark contrast with just a few years ago when the industry was hit by the oil price collapse, which destroyed $400 billion in value during 1987-92. ...

Exploration plans flourish in Mozambique.(oil and gas exploration)
September 8, 1997... Exploration action continues to heat up in Mozambique. South Africa's Sasol Petroleum International (Pty.) Ltd. has formed an alliance with ARCO International Oil & Gas Co. Ltd. and Dubai's Zarara Petroleum Resources to explore Mozambique's...

Rig concerns don't stem gulf sale confidence.(oil companies bid for Gulf of Mexico tract sale, despite concerns over drilling rig availability)
September 8, 1997... Rig concerns don't stem gulf sale confidence Despite some lingering concerns about rig availability, oil companies exhibited strong confidence in the Aug. 27 western Gulf of Mexico sale. In Sale 168, companies offered $616 million in...

Cornering Asia's "sub-LNG" gas.(liquified natural gas projects in India)(Watching the World)(Column)
September 8, 1997... Premier Oil plc, London, has recently secured a ground-breaking deal to become a potential joint venture partner for Indian Oil Corp. Steve Lowden, Premier's director-international, explains that, in line with a strategy to seek long-term...

More U.K. gas markets slated to open Nov. 1.(residential markets of Scotland and Northeast England to get gas supply, 1997)(Brief Article)
September 8, 1997... U.K. government gas industry regulator Office of Gas Supply (Ofgas) has set Nov. 1 as the date for introducing competitive gas supply to residential markets of Scotland and Northeast England. So far, eight companies, including the British...

India attracting foreign firms with LNG deals.(liquid natural gas)(Brief Article)
September 8, 1997... Royal Dutch/Shell, Mobil Corp., Enron Corp., Amoco Corp., Total SA, and BG plc are among 11 companies that in the last 6 months have announced plans to invest in liquefied natural gas ventures in India. The companies have been negotiating...

U.S Minerals Management Service.(new rules on oil royalties, well identification)(Brief Article)
September 8, 1997... U.S. Minerals Management Service issued a final rule authorizing delegation of federal royalty management functions to state governments. The rule also allows states to receive and process production and royalty reports, correct report errors,...

A Texas state district judge.(Chevron U.S.A. settles royalty suit)(Brief Article)
September 8, 1997... A Texas state district judge approved a settlement offer by Chevron U.S.A. Inc. in a suit in which Chevron and seven other major oil companies were accused by Texas and some private royalty owners of underpaying oil royalties dating to 1986-87....

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.(to allow foreign refiners to supply reformulated gasoline in the US using their own baseline data)(Brief Article)
September 8, 1997... U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will allow foreign refiners to supply U.S. reformulated gasoline (RFG) based on their own 1990 baseline data, rather than on an industry-average baseline. The rule makes it easier for foreign refiners to...

EPA.(Environmental Protection Agency raises oxygen standard for gasoline in eight areas)(Brief Article)
September 8, 1997... EPA will require eight U.S. areas to meet a higher per-gallon oxygen standard for winter RFG beginning Sept. 29. The affected areas are: Philadelphia-Wilmington, Del.-Trenton, N.J.; Baltimore; Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, Tex.; Atlantic City;...

Total SA.(buys 20% of contract for oil production in Azerbaijan)(Brief Article)
September 8, 1997... Total SA took a 20% interest in the production-sharing contract (PSC) for Absheron block in the Caspian Sea off Azerbaijan. Remaining interests are operator Chevron Corp. 30% and State Oil Co. of Azerbaijan Republic 50%. The Absheron permit,...

BHP Petroleum (Algeria) Inc.(strikes oil in Algeria's Block 402a)(Brief Article)
September 8, 1997... BHP Petroleum Ltd. proposed that U.K. Ravenspurn North offshore field partner BP Exploration Operating Co. Ltd. take over operatorship. The plan is subject to partner and government approval and is part of an effort to maximize the value of its...

China.(upgrades offshore oil reserves by 1.1 billion barrels)(Brief Article)
September 8, 1997... China upgraded its offshore oil reserves by about 1.1 billion bbl to 10.7 billion bbl. China's off. shore gas reserves have reached 11.2 tcf, according to a senior official with China National Offshore Oil Corp. (Cnooc). China is operating 19...

Talisman Energy Inc.(boosts 1997 capital spending plan)(Brief Article)
September 8, 1997... Talisman Energy Inc. will increase its 1997 capital spending program by $170 million to more than $1 billion (Canadian). The additional spending will be used for new projects and asset acquisitions that could increase current production of more...

Mitsui Petrochemical Industries Ltd.(to invest $133 million in polyethylene plant)(Brief Article)
September 8, 1997... Mitsui Petrochemical Industries Ltd. will invest $133 million to build a wholly owned high-density polyethylene plant in Singapore. Capacity will be 300,000 metric tons/year. Production is scheduled to start in 2001. Feed will come from Mobil...

Amoco Chemical Co.(contract for polypropylene plant in Texas)(Brief Article)
September 8, 1997... Amoco Chemical Co. let a contract to a combine of Fluor Daniel Inc., Irvine, Calif., and France's Technip for construction of a 250,000 metric ton/year polypropylene unit at Amoco's Chocolate Bayou plant south of Houston. Fluor Daniel will...

Caltex Australia Ltd.(to acquire 50% of Ampol Refineries Ltd.)(Brief Article)
September 8, 1997... Caltex Australia Ltd. is negotiating to acquire from Pioneer International, Sydney, a 50% stake in Ampol Refineries Ltd. Pioneer says Ampol's poor returns are decreasing its overall profits. Pioneer has invested $560 million (Australian) in...

Energy Equity Corp.(to invest $48 million in power station)(Brief Article)
September 8, 1997... Energy Equity Corp. (EEC), Perth, will spend $48 million (Australian) to expand its Queensland power assets. EEC plans to increase the capacity of its Barcaldine power station in central Queensland to 55 MW from 37 MW by adding a steam turbine...

Exxon Corp.(buys bigger stake of General Sekiyu KK oil firm)(Brief Article)
September 8, 1997... Exxon Corp. increased its stake in the Japanese oil firm General Sekiyu KK to 50.1% from 49%. Exxon subsidiary Esso Eastern Inc. increased its share of General Sekiyu to 48.6% from 47.5%; Esso Sekiyu KK, a wholly owned subsidiary of Esso...

TransMaritime Gas Transmission Ltd. (applies for permit to build Nova Scotia pipeline)(Brief Article)
September 8, 1997... TransMaritime Gas Transmission Ltd., Halifax, N.S., filed an application with Canada's National Energy Board to build a $629 million (Canadian) pipeline in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The line will transport gas from the proposed development...