Total SA postponed to the end of June its “final decision” on the future of the Dunkirk refinery that it previously said it would announce Feb. 1 at a special meeting of the Central Works Council.

Sunoco Inc. has made permanent its closure of the 150,000-b/d Eagle Point refinery at Westville, NJ, and is selling its polypropylene business to Braskem SA.

Citing global refinery margins “remaining under pressure” in this year’s second half from depressed demand and “expected growth in global surplus refinery capacity,” Caltex Australia announced Dec. 9 it will close its 3,300 b/d lube plant at Kurnell in Sydney.

The future is in question for Total SA’s 137,000 b/d Dunkirk refinery, also called the Flanders refinery, in northern France.

Valero Energy Corp., San Antonio, will permanently close its 210,000-b/d Delaware City, Del., refinery, citing financial losses caused by “very poor economic conditions, significant capital spending requirements, and high operating costs.”

Silver Eagle Refining Inc. has shut down its 12,500 b/cd Woods Cross refinery in Utah on the suggestion of the US Chemical Safety Board and state officials.

PetroVietnam, apparently at the urging of state officials, reported it will shut down the 148,000 b/d Dung Quat refinery for 10-14 days for maintenance in December.

Unscheduled maintenance on the scrubber at the Valero Energy Corp.’s Paulsboro, NJ, refinery’s 55,000-b/d fluid catalytic cracking unit will force its shut down later this month, according to a company news release.

The Fujian Integrating Refining and Ethylene Joint Venture Project in Quanzhou, China, has reached full operation, partners said Nov. 11.

Western Refining Inc., El Paso, is consolidating operations of its two small refineries in New Mexico to reduce operating costs in a period of shrunken refining margins.

A team from the US Chemical Safety Board was sent to investigate an Oct. 21 fire at Tesoro Corp.’s 58,000-b/d Salt Lake City refinery, it was reported on Oct. 23.

The US Environmental Protection Agency issued an objection regarding a federal air permit for BP North America's refinery in Whiting, Ind., leaving the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to review an existing permit.

Another US independent refiner is slashing operations in response to low refining margins.

A fire that errupted early Sept. 28 in the coking unit of Tesoro Corp.’s 100,000-b/cd Wilmington, Calif., refinery, has been extinguished, the San Antonio-based company reported.