Air Liquide Large Industries US LP has started up a 120 MMscfd steam methane reformer in La Porte, Tex., able to supply hydrogen to refineries in Port Arthur, Tex., via a new 85-mile expansion of its Texas Gulf Coast pipeline system.

Repsol held a ceremonial opening of the expansion of its 110,000 b/d Cartagena refinery in Murcia, Spain, to 220,000 b/d of distillation capacity (OGJ Online, Jan. 7, 2010).

Afipsky Refinery has let a contract to Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. covering a basic engineering package for an amine regenerator unit, sour water stripper, and an expected 55 ton/day sulfur recovery unit.

HollyFrontier Corp. reported plans for an unscheduled shutdown of the fluid catalytic cracking unit at its 100,000-b/d Navajo refinery in Artesia, NM, for mechanical repairs.

Essar Oil Ltd. has completed the $1.81 billion expansion of its Vadinar refinery in India with the successful commissioning of the 7.5 million tonne/year delayed coker unit, the final unit to be completed.

Thailand’s IRPC PLC let contracts to Shaw Group Inc. to provide process design and technology license to add a 30,000-b/d deep catalytic cracking unit at IRPC’s 215,000-b/d refinery in Rayong. No contract value or timetable was divulged.

PBF Energy Co. LLC’s October 2011 startup of a previously idled Delaware City, Del., refinery has helped the New England oil products market respond to closures of ConocoPhillips’s Trainer refinery in September and Sunoco Inc.’s Marcus Hook facility in December, the US Energy Information Administration said.

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. said its Horizon Oil Sands Plant will be idle longer than initially expected after operations were suspended Feb. 5 for unplanned maintenance on the fractionating unit.

TAIF Group of Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia, has let a contract to KBR for licensing and engineering services to upgrade its Nizhnikamsk refinery with Veba Combi Cracker (VCC) technology (OGJ Online, Jan. 21, 2010).

Chad’s 50,000-b/d Djarmaya refinery, 40 km north of the capital Ndjamena, has been shut down by government officials again due to a dispute over the price of oil with supplier China National Petroleum Corp. International (CNPCI).

Petron Corp. Mandaluyong City, Philippines, has let contracts for two conversion units in a major upgrade of its 180,000 b/d refinery at Limay, Bataan, about 150 km southwest of Manila (OGJ, Jan. 27, 1997, p. 74).

Essar Oil Ltd. has commissioned a large amine regeneration unit in the first phase of expansion of its 300,000 b/d Vadinar refinery in Gujarat, India, after commissioning a pentane-hexane isomerization unit last month (OGJ Online, Dec. 12, 2011).

HollyFrontier Corp. will expand crude capacity at its 31,000-b/d refinery at Woods Cross, Utah, to 45,000 b/d with idle equipment from Western Refining Inc.’s facility at Bloomfield, NM.

PBF Holding Co. LLC and affiliate Delaware City Refining Co. LLC have reported conditional plans to build a mild hydrocracker and hydrogen plant at their 190,000 b/d Delaware City, Del., refinery.