ExxonMobil Chemical in late December confirmed plans to close its standard butyl rubber plant at Notre Dame de Gravenchon the closure was being discussed with the site's works council Current plans call for the shutdown to take place in the third quarter of 2015 with workers to be offered jobs at other company sites The petrochemicals subsidiary of the US oil group said it would continue to produce standard butyl rubber at other facilities It added that the shutdown in France had "no impact" on its halobutyl operations ExxonMobil claims to have the world's largest installed capacity for halobutyl rubber which it produces in the US and UK as well as in a Japanese joint venture CHEManager Spotlight is an exclusive event tailored for practitioners and decision-makers in the chemical industry This part of our event series delves into the latest trends and innovations in logistics to streamline your operations and drive efficiency Are you ready to elevate your pharmaceutical operations Download our exclusive whitepaper and discover how compliance with Good Distribution Practice (GDP) is essential for the safety and integrity of pharmaceuticals Esso Societe Anonyme Francaise (SAF)—a majority owned subsidiary of ExxonMobil Corp (82.89%)—has entered a formal deal for the sale of its 140,000-b/sd (133,000-b/d) Fos-sur-Mer integrated refinery in the Bouches-du-Rhône region of southern France’s Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Esso SAF will sell its refining and logistics operations in southern France including the Fos-sur-Mer refinery and Toulouse (Fondeyre) and Villette de Vienne terminals a consortium of Entara LLC and Trafigura Pte Ltd. Official signing of the deal follows completion of previously announced formal information and consultation with Esso SAF employee representative bodies required as part of the sales process While discussions with relevant authorities remain ongoing Esso SAF said it anticipates finalizing the divestment by yearend 2024 Entara and Trafigura separately said they expect to receive all necessary authorizations for completing the transaction by end-October 2024 Upon announcing the proposed transaction in April, Esso SAF confirmed its sale of the southern French refining and logistics assets would include transfer of 310 employees of Esso Raffinage and Esso SAF working at the sites to Rhône Energies in accordance with regulations currently in force (OGJ Online, Apr. 11, 2024) The proposed divestments come as part of Esso's long-term strategy in France aimed at maintaining the competitiveness of its operations Esso SAF previously said it would continue to guarantee continuity of supply fuels and specialty products such as lubricants and bitumen to its customers in the south of France from the operator’s 244,000-b/sd (231,800 b/cd) Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon refinery in Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine Rhône Energies said it aims to capitalize on the Fos-sur-Mer refinery’s existing skilled teams and strong manufacturing performance to further improve the site’s margin capture and process utilization to maximize output of high-value products Alongside proposed investments in personnel and process safety Rhône Energies has also committed to investing in sustainability measures at the refinery to reduce its carbon intensity footprint as well as in growth projects to enable further co-processing of biogenic feedstocks for production of renewable fuels Under terms of the proposed acquisition—financial details of which remain confidential—Trafigura has agreed to enter into a minimum 10-year exclusive crude oil supply and product offtake agreement including ownership of crude oil and product stocks in tank to ensure the refinery has a secure supply of on-demand feedstock at competitive costs as well as a reliable off-taker of refined products destined to the domestic market In its second-quarter 2024 earnings update on Aug Esso SAF confirmed the requisite information and consultation process remain under way for the proposed permanent shutdown of ExxonMobil’s 100%-owned ExxonMobil Chemical France (EMCF) primary chemical production unit at its Gravenchon site co-located near Esso SAF’s Gravenchon refinery in Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine First announced in April in parallel with Esso SAF’s proposed divestment of the Fos-sur-Mer refining and logistics assets planned shutdown of EMCF’s Gravenchon steam cracker will not impact refining activities at Esso SAF’s Gravenchon site Esso SAF reconfirmed in a July 11 letter to shareholders EMCF’s planned shutdown of the Gravenchon steam cracker—which produces 400,000 tonnes/year (tpy) of ethylene—will include closure of related derivatives units and logistics installations as part of ExxonMobil’s plan to maintain competitiveness of its European operations In addition to committing to providing enhanced support measures to help secure employment for 677 employees that will lose their jobs as a result of the Gravenchon chemical complex’s closure ExxonMobil previously confirmed ongoing work to determine ways it can assist in creating new uses for the lands made available following remediation of the manufacturing site EMCF’s Gravenchon complex also produces 400,000 tpy of polyethylene and 300,000 tpy of polypropylene Robert Brelsford joined Oil & Gas Journal in October 2013 as downstream technology editor after 8 years as a crude oil price and news reporter on spot crude transactions at the US Gulf Coast He holds a BA (2000) in English from Rice University and an MS (2003) in education and social policy from Northwestern University Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information The Exxon Mobil refinery in Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon 2024 at 3:14 PM EDTBookmarkSaveExxon Mobil Corp said its Gravenchon oil refinery in northern France which has been blockaded by protesters in recent days (Bloomberg) -- A strike at Exxon Mobil Corp.’s Gravenchon oil refinery in northern France is complicating the production of fuels at the site repeating that the plant is at risk of halting The government is aware of the potential impact to energy supplies if the refinery were to shut down and needs to ensure the plant’s safe operation to avoid disruption Exxon said in an emailed response to questions depending on how often materials can be delivered,” Exxon said “A blockade has made it difficult to get important materials into the site which could affect critical energy supplies to northern France.” Workers at the Gravenchon plant are protesting over the company’s decision to close chemical operations this year Exxon said last week it may have to halt the refinery (Corrects to remove reference to operations being disrupted in headline.) By subscribing, you agree to the processing of your personal data by dmg events as described in the Privacy Policy. In the next episode of the Energy Connects podcast, Chiranjib Sengupta sat down with Gauri Singh, Deputy Director-General of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), to… In our next studio interview, Chiranjib Sengupta sat down with Anish De, Global Head of Energy, Natural Resources and Chemicals at KPMG, for a wide-ranging… In an exclusive Energy Connects studio discussion, Chiranjib Sengupta sat down with Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director Emeritus of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the… In the next episode of the Energy Connects podcast ahead of Japan Energy Summit & Exhibition, Chiranjib Sengupta sat down with Joe Raia, Chief Commercial… ©2023 Energy Connects. 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All rights reserved ExxonMobil Corp.’s majority held Esso SA Francaise (SAF) has yet to determine the cause of a fire that broke out on Mar 11 at the operator’s integrated 231,800 b/d Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon refining platform in Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine was quickly contained and subsequently extinguished by an on-site team by 4:00 a.m at which time the manufacturing platform’s internal emergency operation plan also was lifted While Esso SAF confirmed the refinery is currently mobilized to supply customers the operator said it remains unable to provide information regarding what caused the fire or the extent of damage resulting from the incident Of five employees injured during the event only one remained under observation at a local hospital as of 11:30 a.m The operator said it is continuing to work with relevant authorities and emergency services to assess the situation as well as determine necessary means to be implemented for repairs the Gravenchon refinery began manufacturing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) via co-processing of renewable feedstock such as vegetable oils and waste oils with crude oil in existing units at the site in line with the refinery’s goal of producing more than 160,000 tonnes/year (tpy) of low-carbon fuels—including SAF—by 2025 While Esso SAF did not reveal a current volume of SAF production at Gravenchon the operator said co-processing activities at the refinery—which began in May 2022—form part of ExxonMobil’s broader global ambition to deliver about 2 million tpy of low-emission fuels by 2025 and 11 million tpy by 2030 The Gravenchon refinery fire follows Esso SAF’s Mar 8 confirmation that it began the process of restarting units taken offline on Jan 20 as part of a major scheduled maintenance shutdown at the operator’s 126,350-b/d Fos-sur-Mer integrated refinery in the Bouches-du-Rhône region of southern France’s Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Unidentifed units involved in the routine maintenance event—which also involved works to improve the refinery’s energy efficiency as well as thermal integration projects to reduce carbon dioxide emissions at the site as part of the operator’s decarbonization strategy—are slated to return to full Inform your decision making with data that supports thousands of decisions daily Find out how ICIS data is helping businesses in your sector Meet strategic objectives with specialised analytics that optimise outcomes Optimise outcomes with expert news and analysis on the issues that matter Connecting markets to optimise global resources with unlimited access to ICIS chemicals news across all markets and regions the industry-leading magazine for the chemicals industry Partnering with ICIS unlocks a vision of a future you can trust and achieve We leverage our unrivalled network of industry experts to deliver a comprehensive market view based on independent and reliable data insight and analytics.Contact us to learn how we can support you as you transact today and plan for tomorrow ICIS® is part of LexisNexis® Risk Solutions Copyright © 2025 LexisNexis Risk Solutions Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country Digital access for organisations. 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Reporting by Rowena Edwards; editing by David Evans The chemical recycling technology company Plastic Energy has commissioned a pilot plant at its research and development labs at Loughborough University Science & Enterprise Park (LUSEP) in the United Kingdom Plastic Energy plans to test the output of its recycling process and to improve the quality of the final product Another aim is to optimise the efficiency and design of Plastic Energy's large-scale projects going forward the lab will employ the same process on which the company's larger plants are based during which the input material is heated in the absence of oxygen The resulting Tacoil may be used in the production of new monomers for plastics production "As Plastic Energy continues to expand globally the pilot plant will be instrumental in helping Plastic Energy to test new feedstocks further scale up its process and optimise our chemical recycling technology," commented David McNamara Plastic Energy is engaged in a number of projects with high-profile partners. The company has two operational chemical recycling plants in Spain (in Almeria and Seville). In addition, the company is building an advanced recycling unit together with petrochemicals giant Sabic in Geleen This project was reported to be "in the final stages of construction" in July The plant had originally been slated to go online in the second half of 2022 the facility was expected to go online sometime this year Customer Service+49 7224 9397-701servicenoSpam@GO-AWAYeuwid.de Editorial Team+49 7224 9397-0recyclingnoSpam@GO-AWAYeuwid.com Get the latest news about developments and trends in the industry sent to you once a week free of charge by newsletter Sign up for our newsletter We use cookies and external services on our website others enhance your user experience or help us improve this website You can change your privacy settings any time by clicking privacy policy Necessary cookies are required for the correct functioning of the website Content from video and social media platforms is blocked by default. If access to these services is accepted, separate consent is no longer required when using them. You can find more information on the individual external services in our privacy policy. Esso Societe Anonyme Francaise (SAF)—a majority owned subsidiary of ExxonMobil Corp. (82.89%)—has entered formal discussions for the sale of its 140,000-b/sd (133,000-b/d) Fos-sur-Mer integrated refinery in the Bouches-du-Rhône region of southern France’s Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Esso SAF has entered exclusive negotiations to sell its refining and logistics operations in southern France, including the Fos-sur-Mer refinery and Toulouse (Fondeyre) and Villette de Vienne terminals, to Rhône Energies, a consortium of Entara LLC and Trafigura Pte Ltd., the four companies said in separate releases on Apr. 11. The proposed transaction—which remains subject to a formal information and consultation procedure already underway with Esso SAF employee representative bodies, as well as to regulatory approvals—would include transfer of 310 employees Esso Raffinage and Esso SAF working at the sites to Rhône Energies in accordance with regulations currently in force, Esso SAF said. The proposed divestments come as part of Esso's long-term strategy in France aimed at maintaining the competitiveness of its operations, while guaranteeing continuity of supply to its customers in the south of France, according to Charles Amyot, chief executive officer and chairman of Esso SAF. “We are convinced that under the leadership of Rhône Energies and thanks to its support, the teams will continue to work tirelessly to supply the energy products needed on the market while continuing the site's commitment to the energy transition,” said Amyot. Following the proposed sale, Esso SAF said it will continue supplying customers in throughout the region with fuels and specialty products such as lubricants, base oils, and bitumen, from its 244,000-b/sd (231,800 b/cd) Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon refinery in Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine, Normandy, in northern France. Under terms of the proposed acquisition—financial details of which remain confidential—Trafigura said it would enter into a minimum 10-year exclusive crude oil supply and product offtake agreement, including ownership of crude oil and product stocks in tank, to ensure the refinery has a secure supply of on-demand feedstock at competitive costs, as well as a reliable off-taker of refined products destined to the domestic market. Upon completing the acquisition, Rhône Energies said it plans to further improve the refinery’s margin capture, crude flexibility, and process utilization, and to invest in sustainability of the site to reduce its carbon intensity footprint. Rhône Energies confirmed additional investments into the refinery would entail growth projects to enable further co-processing of biogenic feedstocks for production of renewable fuels. Completion of the proposed transaction is anticipated by the end of 2024, the parties said. Announcement of Esso SAF’s proposed divestment of the Fos-sur-Mer refining and logistics assets comes on the same day as ExxonMobil’s 100%-owned ExxonMobil Chemical France (EMCF) revealed its plan to permanently close the primary chemical production unit at its Gravenchon site co-located near Esso SAF’s Gravenchon refinery in Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine. Following more than €500 million in losses since 2018, EMCF aims to shut down its Gravenchon steam cracker—which produces 400,000 tonnes/year (tpy) of ethylene—as well as related derivatives units and logistics installations, the operator said. “Despite efforts to reduce costs and improve the site’s economics, [the site] not competitive in the market…[as] configuration of the steam cracker, its small size compared to newer units, high operating costs in Europe, and higher energy prices make it uncompetitive,” ExxonMobil said. Anticipated to occur in 2024 but still subject to relevant government approvals, the proposed closure would result in the loss of 677 ExxonMobil jobs in France that would be reduced over time through 2025. No employment separation is considered before 2025, the company said. As part of the proposed shuttering, ExxonMobil said it plans to close associated buildings, decommission equipment, and over time, fully remediate the site. A separate entity, the Esso Gravenchon refinery in Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine, remains financially stable, and in current market conditions, will continue to operate and supply France with fuels, lubricants, basestocks and asphalt, ExxonMobil confirmed. Regarding the impacted workforce, the operator said it will initiate its search for individual and collective solutions following consultation with applicable works councils, and enhanced support measures aimed at helping employees finding new jobs will be made available. In the meantime, ExxonMobil said it is already contemplating options for how it can assist in creating possible new uses for the lands made available following remediation of the chemicals manufacturing site. In addition to ethylene, EMCF’s Gravenchon complex also produces 400,000 tpy of polyethylene and 300,000 tpy of polypropylene, according to ExxonMobil’s 2023 annual report to investors. Robert Brelsford joined Oil & Gas Journal in October 2013 as downstream technology editor after 8 years as a crude oil price and news reporter on spot crude transactions at the US Gulf Coast, West Coast, Canadian, and Latin American markets. He holds a BA (2000) in English from Rice University and an MS (2003) in education and social policy from Northwestern University. Embed on your websiteClose×Copy the code below to embed the WBUR audio player on your site<iframe width="100%" height="124" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://player.wbur.org/hereandnow/2016/05/25/exxon-investors-climate"></iframe> In addition to protests on the street, big oil companies are facing a growing push from their own investors to overhaul their business model in light of climate change. At a shareholders meeting today in Dallas, ExxonMobil investors will vote on several advisory measures, including calls to cut spending on new oil exploration in the Arctic. The activist investors behind the measures, which are nonbinding, say flagging fossil fuel profits are evidence that the world's biggest oil company needs to adapt its business model. Other Exxon investors say the proposals amount to the company planning its own demise. Here & Now's Robin Young speaks with Natasha Lamb, a portfolio manager for Arjuna Capital, the investment company proposing the shareholder measures. Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account says it and ExxonMobil Canada have closed the $1.9-billion sale of their oil and gas-producing assets in the Montney and Duvernay areas to Whitecap Resources Inc Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Play VideoArticle contentThe two companies each owned 50 per cent of XTO Energy Canada, which held the assets, while Imperial itself is majority owned by ExxonMobil. Imperial says the assets sold include almost 230,000 net hectares in the Montney shale and about 29,000 net hectares in the Duvernay shale, plus additional holdings in other areas of Alberta. Whitecap says the acquisition will add the equivalent of about 32,000 barrels per day of production (including condensate and natural gas liquids) and over 2,000 drilling locations in the two fossil fuel plays. Calgary-based Whitecap says the deal also includes a gas processing facility, and that integration of the acquired assets is already well underway. Imperial said in January it would look to sell XTO Energy Canada as part of its strategy to focus on key oilsands assets. transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy You can manage saved articles in your account Tuesday World Subscribers only Friedrich Merz bets on two private sector converts to revive the German economy and reform the state World Subscribers only 'A Pope in the tradition of Francis': From New York to Ghana Catholics hope for continuity at the Vatican World Subscribers only Chancellor Merz's diplomatic first week 2025."> World Trump's proposal to reopen Alcatraz deemed 'absurd' in San Francisco World Subscribers only Founder of Sant'Egidio community fears next pope could undo Francis's legacy Opinion Subscribers only 'Russian gas and Europe is an old story that ended badly Economy Subscribers only Europe's steel industry flattened by crisis World Subscribers only How European countries plan to fund defense efforts France Subscribers only Macron announces citizens' convention on school schedules France Subscribers only 21 charged over French prison attacks as investigation narrows in on drug traffickers France Subscribers only French mosque stabber was driven by 'morbid fascination,' prosecutor says France Subscribers only At the trial of Kim Kardashian's robbers Videos World expos: From Paris 1855 to Osaka 2025 Videos How the Trump administration is attacking scientific research in the US Videos Tesla cars set on fire in Las Vegas as calls to boycott Musk's company grow worldwide Videos Can France's nuclear deterrent protect Europe Opinion Subscribers only 'It is pointless to imagine a significant wave of American academics leaving' Opinion Subscribers only 'The American dream is dying' Opinion Subscribers only 'The trade war creates new opportunities for Europeans and France' Magazine Subscribers only Tracking down the pianos taken from French Jews during the Nazi Occupation Magazine Subscribers only Eve Rodsky the American helping couples balance the mental load Magazine Subscribers only Desecration or more glory Joan Didion's private diaries are revealed Magazine Subscribers only For Jewish cartoonist Joann Sfar 2025."> Pixels Subscribers only Golden Owl solution is revealed but leaves players of 31-year hunt disappointed Pixels Subscribers only Secrets of decades-long Golden Owl treasure hunt to be revealed Lifestyle Inside Chanel's French leather workshops Culture Subscribers only The marvelous bronzes of Angkor on display at the Musée Guimet in Paris The American giant is set to shut down part of the petrochemical activities at its major site in northern France and is selling its Fos-sur-Mer refinery in southern France to an American-Swiss consortium By Adrien Pécout Esso-ExxonMobil's Port-Jérôme-Gravenchon refinery in Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine (northern France) on December 26 MARTIN ROCHE / PHOTOPQR / OUEST FRANCE / MAXPPP The profits of the number one oil company in the United States the American group has amassed a net profit of almost $92 billion (over €85 billion) between the beginning of 2022 and the end of 2023 approximately 2,400 employees of its French subsidiaries were dismayed The main shock came first: ExxonMobil Chemical France announced the closure of a large part of its petrochemical activities by the end of the year citing "more than €500 million in losses since 2018." This will result in "the cutting of 677 jobs" by 2025: 647 at the Gravenchon site in Normandy in the commune of Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine (northern France) and 30 at the company's head office in the Paris region Another subsidiary made another announcement While Esso intends to keep its refinery at this same Gravenchon site it is preparing to sell its refinery at Fos-sur-Mer (southern France) as well as its depots at Toulouse and Villette-de-Vienne (southeastern France) As the 310 or so employees concerned have learned a consortium is preparing to take control by the end of the year The duo brings together Swiss commodities trading giant Trafigura – found guilty by the US courts in March in a corruption case in Brazil – and American refinery operator Entara It promises to "maintain the current workforce." You have 73.41% of this article left to read Lecture du Monde en cours sur un autre appareil Vous pouvez lire Le Monde sur un seul appareil à la fois Ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil Parce qu’une autre personne (ou vous) est en train de lire Le Monde avec ce compte sur un autre appareil Vous ne pouvez lire Le Monde que sur un seul appareil à la fois (ordinateur En cliquant sur « Continuer à lire ici » et en vous assurant que vous êtes la seule personne à consulter Le Monde avec ce compte Que se passera-t-il si vous continuez à lire ici Ce dernier restera connecté avec ce compte Vous pouvez vous connecter avec votre compte sur autant d’appareils que vous le souhaitez mais en les utilisant à des moments différents Nous vous conseillons de modifier votre mot de passe Votre abonnement n’autorise pas la lecture de cet article merci de contacter notre service commercial PoliticsLuxembourg lawmakers divided over Israel-EU relationsAttempt to find unified position on extension of EU-Israel trade agreement failed during divisive committee meeting World of workJob market last year grew at slowest pace since financial crisisLuxembourg created fewer new jobs in 2024 than any year since the 2008-9 banking crisis Public administrationGovernment to create administration overseeing housing aidNew office aims to improve access to housing support and reduce delays AustraliaAustralians mark election day with 'democracy sausages' and in 'budgy smugglers'Australians fired up barbecues and wore tight-fit swim trunks called "budgy smugglers" to voting centers as they welcomed election day on Saturday (3 May) with some unique and quirky traditions. 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