Kazakhstan’s state oil company KazMunaiGaz expects the country’s crude oil production to reach 90 million tonnes/year by 2015 and 130 million tpy by 2020.

Westlake Chemical Corp., Houston, will convert the feed to its Calvert City, Ky., ethylene plant to ethane from propane and increase ethylene production capacity to 630 million lb/year (about 286,000 tonnes/year) from 450 million lb/year.

Saudi Polymers Co. has begun commercial production at its petrochemical complex in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

Connacher Oil & Gas Ltd., Calgary, said it has closed the sale of its 100% interest in Montana Refining Co. to a subsidiary of Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP, Indianapolis (OGJ Online, Aug. 15, 2012).

Keyera Corp., Calgary, will increase ethane and NGL recoveries at its Rimbey gas plant in west central Alberta.

A Sept. 28 boiler explosion at a Wynnewood, Okla., refinery owned by CVR Energy Inc. of Sugar Land, Tex., killed one worker and critically injured another, a spokeswoman with the US Department of Labor said Oct. 1, adding the incident is under investigation.

The US Environmental Protection agency should move quickly to resolve problems with Renewable Identification Numbers (RIN) used as biodiesel credits by yearend, an American Petroleum Institute official urged.

Williams Cos. Inc., Tulsa, has signed a gas processing agreement with a producer in the Canadian oil sands, according to a company announcement that did not name the producer. OGJ data, however, suggest it is Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Calgary.

Technip has received contracts for front-end engineering design of modernization projects that will expand crude capacities of two small refineries in Kazakhstan.

Westlake Chemical Corp., Houston, will perform planned maintenance and an expansion of the Petro 2 ethylene unit at the company’s complex in Lake Charles, La., in first-quarter 2013.