Caballo Energy LLC, Tulsa, has started up a 60-MMcfd gas processing plant near Carmen, Okla., in Alfalfa County, bringing Caballo’s total processing capacity in the region to about 100 MMcfd (OGJ Online, Sept. 18, 2012).

Total plans a €1 billion modernization of its Antwerp, Belgium, refining and petrochemical complex that will include new upgrading capacity at the 338,000-b/cd refinery.

BASF Total Petrochemicals LLC (BTP) has completed a revamp of its steam cracker in Port Arthur, Tex., enabling the 1-million-tonne/year facility to process ethane, supply of which is increasing from US shale plays.

Coffeyville Resources Refining & Marketing has agreed to pay a $300,000 civil penalty to settle alleged violations of federal air-quality requirements at its 115,000-b/d refinery at Coffeyville, Kan.

The US Environmental Protection Agency proposed standards to reduce vehicle emissions and sulfur content in gasoline beginning in 2017. Comments on the so-called Tier 3 requirements will be accepted until June 13, EPA said on May 21.

Abundant, affordable US natural gas supplies resulted in 97 announced chemical and plastics projects totaling $71.7 billion in potential new investment, the American Chemical Council said in a recent report.

State-owned Indian Oil Corp. Ltd. (IOC) has developed and commercialized a technology for coprocessing nonedible vegetable oil in a refinery diesel hydrotreating unit to make biodiesel.