Poland's 210,000 b/d Gdansk refinery is increasing production after completing scheduled maintenance earlier this month. Most of the units taken off line for between late February and early April have restarted, as planned, operator Rafineria Gdanska said on 7 April. Maintenance was conducted on crude and vacuum distillation units, a diesel hydrotreater, the MHC mild hydrocracker, a reformer, the jet fuel Merox and hydrogen generation units, and two sulphur recovery units. A second phase of planned maintenance at Gdansk takes the refinery's three base oil units off line from 8 April until mid-May. Rafineria Gdanska is a joint venture of state-controlled Orlen with 70pc and state-controlled Saudi Aramco holding 30pc. Orlen is planning maintenance on a hydrocracker at its 373,000 b/d Plock refinery in Poland from 13 May until 24 June. The Polish company's 63,000 b/d Kralupy refinery in the Czech Republic has been shut down for scheduled maintenance since mid-March and should restart in early May. Orlen's 190,000 b/d Mazeikiai refinery in Lithuania was off line for 30 days of planned maintenance last month.
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Nabors sees ‘huge potential’ in Venezuela
Nabors sees ‘huge potential’ in Venezuela
Pittsburgh, 29 October (Argus) — US-based drilling rig operator Nabors sees "huge potential" to grow its rig count in Venezuela and expects its Lower 48 rig count to extend gains into the fourth quarter. Nabors said the broader outlook for Venezuela is improving, with customers considering new long-term drilling programs. "With the right commercial arrangements, Venezuela could quickly become a meaningful contributor to our international business," president and chief executive Anthony Petrello said on an earnings call. Venezuela has slowly re-emerged as an oil exporter following the lifting of US sanctions after the 3 January seizure of former leader Nicolas Maduro and years of underinvestment. Crude output for the country has increased by 200,000 b/d since January to 1.2mn b/d in September but remains well below its past peak of 3mn b/d . Nabors won a multi-year drilling contract in Venezuela in the third quarter and is redeploying an idle US rig to meet its undisclosed client's schedule. The country currently has nine working rigs, down from more than 85 in 2013, Petrello said. Nabors retained a small employee presence in the country during the downturn and maintained its rigs there to the best extent possible. Nabors is tracking more than 20 additional rig opportunities in Venezuela, excluding potential increases by vertically integrated operators with their own rigs, Petrello said. The company has five idle rigs in Venezuela ready to respond to increased activity. "We are evaluating a number of opportunities with long-standing customers and other customers in Venezuela to start operations next year," Petrello said. Nabors expects its international drilling rig count to average 92-93 rigs in the fourth quarter and exit the year with 92 rigs. Intensified hostilities in the Middle East delayed some rig growth and equipment deliveries during the quarter. Nabors received suspension notices for five rigs in Saudi Arabia and pushed one rig deployment from the fourth quarter into the first quarter because of the disruption. Despite those delays, it remains on schedule for 18 new-build rigs to begin operations in the fourth quarter, chief financial officer Miguel Rodriguez said. In its US business, Nabors' average Lower 48 rig count increased by six sequentially in the third quarter to 73. The company ended the quarter with 74 rigs and expects to average 75 rigs in the fourth quarter, exiting 2026 with 76-77 rigs, Rodriguez said. Nabors expects tight US rig availability and consistent global demand to support further price gains. By Brad MacAulay Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
UK liquids production rises in September
UK liquids production rises in September
London, 29 October (Argus) — UK crude production rose by 25pc in September from a 50-year low in August, but output remained well below the first-half year average. UK crude output was 482,000 b/d in September. The rise in output was likely due to a return of some North fields from maintenance which typically happens in August. September's average was around 13pc lower than the first-half year average. The figures suggest crude and condensate production averaged 524,000 b/d in September. The UK's annual production is on course to hit an historic low as fields the North Sea basin continue to mature. Liquids production averaged just 568,000 b/d in the first nine months of the year, down by 11pc from the first nine months of 2025. By Ellanee Kruck Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Thailand's PTTGC, SCGC target petchems JV in 2H27
Thailand's PTTGC, SCGC target petchems JV in 2H27
Singapore, 29 October (Argus) — Thailand's PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC) and Siam Cement Group Chemicals (SCGC) have finalised the proposed joint venture (JV) for their olefins and polyolefins operations and expect to obtain regulatory approvals by the second half of 2027. PTTGC and SCGC will hold 56pc and 44pc stakes, respectively, in the JV company following the completion of the merger, according to a filing with the Stock Exchange of Thailand on 28 October. The strategic JV aims to "bring together PTTGC's strengths in upstream production, access to competitive feedstock with refinery integration and integrated infrastructure with SCGC's downstream manufacturing capabilities, diversified product portfolio, proprietary technology and expertise in high-value-added and differentiated products," the statement said. PTTGC operates five crackers at the Map Ta Phut and Rayong industrial zones, with combined ethylene capacity of 2.88mn t/yr. Its downstream assets include 850,000 t/yr of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) capacity, a 300,000 t/yr low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plant and two 400,000 t/yr linear low-density polyethylene/high-density polyethylene (LLDPE/HDPE) swing units. The company is also a major shareholder of HMC Polymers and supplies propylene through local pipeline transfers. Meanwhile, SCGC operates two crackers in the same industrial zones, with total ethylene capacity of 2.1mn t/yr. Its affiliated polyolefins companies include Thai Polyethylene and Siam Polyethylene. Thai Polyethylene operates 980,000 t/yr of HDPE capacity, a 152,000 t/yr LDPE unit, a 140,000 t/yr LLDPE/HDPE swing line and three PP lines totalling 890,000 t/yr. Siam Polyethylene owns two LLDPE plants with combined capacity of 650,000 t/yr. The firms first announced in late April that they were studying a potential partnership . Both companies will continue to operate independently until the JV obtains regulatory approvals, according to a 29 October statement to customers from PTTGC and SCGC. The JV comes southeast Asian petrochemical market participants turning to rationalisation and restructuring to manage the persistent production losses in the petrochemical sector over the past few years. In recent developments, Thailand has imposed a three-year safeguard measure on selected PP imports into Thailand as a move to protect its domestic industry. The safeguard duties ranging from 7.63-7.73pc will be phased in over a three-year period, effective from 28 December this year. By Zong Ming Shin and Ishika Gupta Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Incoming BC gov't questions oil tanker ban: Update
Incoming BC gov't questions oil tanker ban: Update
Adds results from vote in Ottawa. Calgary, 28 October (Argus) — British Columbia's (BC) newly elected government is questioning the oil tanker ban along its northern coast but says debate over the federal law belongs in Ottawa. The federal Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, which went into effect in June 2019, prohibits tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tonnes of oil from loading, unloading or stopping at ports from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the Alaska border. The ban has effectively made crude exports from BC's northern coast impossible, to the ire of oil-rich Alberta, and was supported by the outgoing New Democratic Party (NDP) provincial government. But a 24 October majority win by the Conservative Party of BC may suggest an appetite to revisit the law that premier-elect Lorne Doerkson says "applies to Canadians and nobody else". "American tankers move oil down this same coast from Alaska every day, and the law says nothing to them. Those are real concerns and British Columbians should know I share them," Doerkson said in a statement to Argus on 27 October. Issues regarding Canada's west coast waters and the tanker moratorium fall under federal jurisdiction, so cannot be undone by BC. Prime minister Mark Carney agreed with outgoing BC premier David Eby in July to leave the tanker ban intact in exchange for BC to not resist the proposed 1mn b/d Pacific Link pipeline from Bruderheim, Alberta, to Delta, BC. Doerkson said his focus is on Pacific Link, which was initially spearheaded by the Alberta government but is now a joint venture between Alberta, Canada and Pembina Pipeline. Conservative-led Alberta seeks to capitalize on a change in government in its western neighbour, calling on Carney this week to end the tanker ban and take advantage of the port of Prince Rupert, the deepest port in North America and Canada's closest to Asia. A proposal to repeal the ban, brought forward by the federal Conservatives, failed to advance beyond the second reading in the House of Commons on Wednesday by a 132-191 count with the Liberal-majority voting against. Bill C-264 would have required Carney to reverse his position on the ban only months after his pact with Eby. By Brett Holmes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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