Syntroleum Corp., Tulsa, said it signed agreements with the Dampier Port Authority that provide Syntroleum with access to the port facilities for shipping products produced at its Sweetwater gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant under development in western Australia. The 30-year agreements cover usage of port facilities at a fixed price, leasing of land, and related easements. The Sweetwater project is a 10,000 b/d GTL plant. Syntroleum is the developer of a proprietary technology for converting natural gas into synthetic liquid hydrocarbons.
Penn Octane Corp., Palm Desert, Calif., Wednesday announced a 3-year sales agreement with PMI Trading Ltd. for the sale of 240 million gal/year of liquefied petroleum gas. Monthly sales amount to 20 million gal and represent a strengthening of the ties between Penn Octane and PMI Trading. The total contract is expected to be worth $450 million. J. B. Richter, president and CEO of Penn Octane, said his company spent 2 years building an infrastructure for storage and transporting LPG from Texas to various parts of Mexico.
Frontier Oil Corp., Houston, said a scheduled maintenance turnaround at its refinery in El Dorado, Kan., has been completed and the plant is on stream. Capacity was increased to 110,000 b/d from 104,500 b/d. Frontier said it intends to operate the El Dorado refinery at its maximum capacity throughout the summer driving season.