INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS

ACQUISITIONS

IMPERIAL OIL LTD. received final regulatory approval for its $4.9 billion takeover of Texaco Canada Inc., 1 year after the companies announced a deal. Approval came from Ottawa's Competition Tribunal after Imperial agreed to meet tribunal requirements for sale of Texaco properties (OGJ, Feb. 12, p ' 26), Imperial will sell 638 service stations and provide gasoline supply guarantees to independent retailers in Ontario and Quebec to ensure competition.

PROCESSING

THAI OLEFINS CO. hired Bechtel Corp. to provide engineering and technical consulting services for construction of Thailand's second olefins plant. Bechtel will prepare basic design and bidding documents and assist with evaluation of bids. The plant, to start up in mid-1993 in Rayong Province, will produce 350,000 tons/year of ethylene and 170,000 tons/year of propylene.

PETROLEOS DE VENEZUELA SA agreed to buy Chevron Corp.'s 500,000 b/d Freeport, Bahamas, refinery and related assets. Operated by Chevron subsidiary Bahamas Oil Refining Co., the plant has been idle since 1985. Pdvsa also will obtain a crude and products terminal that includes 20 million bbl of storage, a local refined products business, and 624 acres of land.

PASA PETROQUIMICA ARGENTINA SA, Buenos Aires, chose Lummus Crest Inc. to license and provide basic engineering services for proprietary ethylene, ethylbenzene/cumene, and styrene monomer processes in the expansion of its complex at San Lorenzo, Sante Fe Province, Argentina. The project will add production of 140,000 metric tons/year of styrene monomer and 50,000 metric tons/year of cumene.

TAMOIL ITALIA SPA let contract to Foster Wheeler Italiana SpA for engineering and material supply for a 6,325 b/sd catalytic dewaxing unit at its 95,000 b/d Cremona, Italy, refinery. The unit, valued at more than $20 million and based on a license from Akzo/Labofina, will eliminate wax from atmospheric heavy gas oil to improve cloud and pour point in diesel fuel.

INDIA'S petroleum and Chemicals Ministry hiked capacity for its proposed Mangalore refinery to 120,000 b/d from 60,000 b/d to improve project economics. Goahead for the project awaits approval by India's Planning Commission.

A FEB. 12 FIRE of undetermined origin killed one worker, seriously injured a fireman, and caused extensive damage to a tank farm belonging to Quimicas Venoco, a private Venezuelan company, at the El Tablazo petrochemical complex in western Venezuela. The fire started in a light polymers tank. Plants outside the Venoco section resumed normal operations after the fire was doused.

TRANSPORTATION

CANADA'S National Energy Board granted TransCanada PipeLines Ltd. a 1.4% increase in tolls for transporting gas to markets in Canada and the U.S. New rates are retroactive to Jan. 1 . TransCanada had asked NEB for an increase of 3.6%. NEB approved a revenue requirement for 1990 of $934 million although TransCanada had forecast a requirement of $955 million.

PETROECUADOR let a $4.6 million contract to Venezuela's Ingenieria Petroleo y Gas for expansion of its petroleum products marine terminal at Balao, Ecuador, to handle vessels of as much as 36,000 dwt. The expansion will improve economics of shipping products from Petroecuador's 90,000 b/d refinery nearby. Corp. Andina de Fomento, Caracas, will finance the project.

DRILLING-PRODUCTION

CANADA NORTHWEST ENERGY LTD. will install an electromagnetic stimulation system, owned by ORS Corp., Calgary, on 11 wells to be drilled at Frog Lake and Meridan, Alta., and Lashburn, Sask. The system, which started up last Dec. 1 on a well at Lashburn to eliminate rod fall problems associated with 9 gravity oil, has raised production to 50 b/d of oil from 20 b/d.

IRAN let a $45 million contract to France's ETPM for repair of Nasr offshore platform, damaged in the Iran/Iraq war. The platform, southeast of Bandar Abbas, will have capacity of 80,000 b/d when work is complete. GTMEntrepose, ETPM's parent, is completing negotiations for a contract to repair war damage to Kharg Island oil export terminal.

PETROECUADOR started up flow of 5,000 b/d from four wells in Tiguino field, 15 miles south of the Petroecuador-Texaco Inc. Cononaco concession area in Ecuador. Oil moves through the Cononaco-Lago Agrio pipeline. Field reserves are estimated at 25 million bbl.

EXPLORATION

INDONESIA'S Pertamina, with partners Canada Northwest Energy Ltd. 35% and Bow Valley Industries Ltd. 15%, tested a discovery on the Ogan-Komering contract area in South Sumatra. Drilled to 1,730 m, the 1 Mandala MDL wildcat flowed 4.9 MMcfd of gas and 40 b/d of condensate on drillstem test of the Miocene Batu Raja.

INDIA'S STATE OWNED Oil & Natural Gas Commission is pressing the first exploration program off the coast of Gujarat state. ONGC identified seven wildcat locations in shallow waters of the Gulf of Cambay. Onshore, ONGC plans exploration in Vindhyan, South Rewa, and Satpura basins in Madhya Pradesh state.

MORGAN HYDROCARBONS INC., Calgary, will operate a $40 million lease acquisition, exploration, and development program mainly in Saskatchewan and Alberta in 1990-91. Joint venture partners Standard Life Assurance Co. and Hospitals of Ontario Pension Plan will provide half the money. Morgan will provide the rest and hold a majority working interest.

TOTAL CFP 1 Sancy-les-Provins gauged 160 b/d from Dogger on Montmirail permit in France's Paris basin. The discovery, to go on stream within the next month, is 11 miles southwest of Villeperdue field, also operated by Total in a 50-50 partnership with Triton France.

COMPANIES

INDIA'S Oil & Natural Gas Commission boosted its capital budget by $465 million to $2 billion in fiscal 1990-91 beginning in April from the previous fiscal period, without budget support from the government and relying on internal cash flow, suppliers' credits, and debt. Production targets for the period are about 674,000 b/d of oil and about 960 MMcfd of gas.

BRITISH GAS PLC is seeking joint ventures in gas exploration, production, and marketing in India. It wants a venture with an Indian firm to import LNG and distribute the regasified product in India. BG held talks with the Petroleum Ministry, ONGC, and Oil India Ltd. on gas distribution in Bombay, Delhi, and Calcutta; pipeline projects; and participation in India's fourth licensing round.