August 28, 2007 by Walter Schneider.

Foreign Policy Association — Central Asia

Kazakhstan vs. ENI: Showdown

….in general oil majors operating in Kazakhstan are dealing with some seemingly unresolvable problems. We don’t like sulfur in our fuels, for instance; sour gas creates more pollution and is harder to refine. When that sulfur is extracted out, it goes into a world market that is supply-glutted. Many of the environmental violations for oil in Kazakhstan have to do with a sulfur that nobody wants, causes pollution, and that oil companies would be more than happy to get rid of at almost any low price you could name….(Full Story)
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Right, and how will HAZCO make money on the sulphur it alleges it will produce in Bruderheim for the world market?

As to “any low price you could name”, oil companies operating in Alberta gave about $10 for each tonne of sulphur that anyone took off their hands in the second half of 2001, and they gave their sulphur away for nothing in the summer of 2007.

Right now the plant-gate price of sulphur is $40 a tonne, far short of recovering the cost of production or of shipping it to Vancouver and loading it there for export.

Nevertheless, even though there is no money to be made by the Canadian economy for exporting sulphur, sulphur processors, shippers and handlers get paid and make money.

Guess out of whose wallet that money comes. — folc.ca

Posted in Community & Industry, Emission Incidents & Issues, Hazco, World Sulphur Glut, Sulphur Logistics | Print | No Comments »

August 28, 2007 by Walter Schneider.

Edmonton SUN

Syncrude operation too smelly
Alberta government orders company to cut back emissions

By CP

Alberta Environment has ordered oil and gas producer Syncrude to cut back emissions from an operation in northern Alberta.

The government says the move is in response to public complaints about the smell, as well as monitoring of hydrogen sulphide near the company’s effluent pond on Mildred Lake, northwest of Fort McMurray.

Under the order, Syncrude must develop an interim action plan by Sept. 4 to minimize hydrogen sulphide and ammonia emissions from the pond, with a long-term plan due no later than Oct. 1….(Full Story)

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Posted in Community & Industry, Emission Incidents & Issues, Sulphur-Related Construction Costs, Hydrogen-Sulphide | Print | No Comments »