Hess Corp. agreed to pay an $850,000 civil penalty and spend more than $45 million in new pollution controls to resolve Clean Air Act violations at its Port Reading, NJ, refinery, said the US Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice.

Eni SPA, citing poor refining margins in Europe, is limiting operation of its 105,000-b/cd Gela refinery on the southern coast of Sicily.

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.

Another Caribbean refinery able to run heavy, sour crude oil will cease operation. Citing “unfavorable refinery economics and the outlook for continued unfavorable refinery economics,” Valero Energy Corp. said it will halt crude runs at month’s end of its 235,000 b/d facility in Aruba.

The refining and petrochemical industries benefit the US, and their representatives must rebuke misleading criticisms from politicians so that the general public hears the facts, leaders of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (formerly the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association) said Mar. 12 during an opening session of the AFPM annual meeting in San Diego.

The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) dispatched a team of investigators on Mar. 6 to the site of a July 19, 2009, hydrocarbon gas release involving hydrofluoric acid (HF) at Citgo Petroleum Corp.’s Corpus Christi, Tex., refinery.

BP PLC said it is repairing a fire-damaged crude distillation unit at its 222,300-b/cd Cherry Point refinery at Ferndale, Wash., and also starting maintenance activities on other units at the refinery in coming weeks.

Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd. has commissioned units enabling its Visakh refinery in Andhra Pradesh, India, to produce gasoline with emission standards equivalent to Euro 4 (less than 50 ppm sulfur).

BP PLC and research groups from the UK and Russia have formed a consortium to study ways to improve energy efficiency of Russian refineries.

The pending bankruptcy of refiner Petroplus is only the start of further problems for nearly 40% of the European Union’s 104 refineries now in need of refurbishment, according to a new consultancy report.

ExxonMobil Corp. and TonenGeneral Sekiyu KK have entered into an agreement valued at $3.9 billion that will result in the restructuring of ExxonMobil’s holdings in Japan.

Hovensa LLC is closing its 500,000 b/d refinery at St Croix, USVI, the joint venture of Hess Corp. and Petroleos de Venezuela SA reported. After the shutdown, the Hovensa complex will operate as an oil storage terminal.

Petroplus Holdings AG reported Dec. 30 it will start the temporary shutdown of three of its refineries in Europe next month after lenders froze a $1 billion credit facility.

Total SA is restructuring its downstream business to separate manufacturing from supply and marketing while emphasizing that it remains committed to its integrated structure.