A consortium of major oil companies lost another court appeal in Kazakhstan over an environmental fine of approximately $5 billion related to the storage of excessive amounts of sulphur, according to a court ruling on April 8th. The penalty was levied against the North Caspian Operating Co. (NCOC), operator of the giant Kashagan oil field, for allegedly violating environmental regulations by stockpiling sulphur.
The North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC), which operates the huge Kashagan oil field in Kazakhstan, has said that it is seeking international arbitration to resolve its ongoing dispute with the government of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan has imposed a swingeing $4.6 billion fine for alleged violations of sulphur storage regulations at the NCOC site. In December, a special administrative court in Astana turned down an appeal by NCOC, although it also granted leave to appeal in a higher court. NCOC, a partnership between Shell, Eni, TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil, China National Petroleum Corporation, Inpex and Kazakh state oil and gas company KazMunayGaz, continues to maintain that its sulphur handling operations have been conducted in compliance with Kazakhstan’s laws and that it had the required permits in place.
The deficit in the sulphur market has led to a new focus on melting down and selling stockpiles of sulphur around the world. From Kazakhstan to Canada, stocks of sulphur have been shrinking.
Heartland Sulphur says that it has debottlenecked its crushed bulk sulphur remelting operations, increasing capacity by 40%. Heartland says that the increase boosts the company’s sulphur handling efficiency and service capability for producers and buyers. It has also completed a full feasibility study and retained engineering partners to add an additional 1,000 t/d of sulphur remelt capacity, slated to be fully operational by yearend 2026. Heartland Sulphur can form 4,500 t/d for offshore markets, transport molten sulphur by tank car to destinations across North America, and accept and condition sulphur in both molten and solid states. The company’s existing remelt capacity stands at 700 t/d and is projected to reach a total of 1,700 t/d (560,000 t/a) by the end of 2026.
ADNOC has received bids for its Ruwais Sulphur Terminal expansion. The project aims to expand the existing sulphur handling terminal facilities, SHT-1 and SHT-2, located in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi. The purpose of the expansion is to increase the capacity of the Ruwais sulphur handling terminal to accommodate an additional 10,600 t/d of liquid sulphur from the Hail and Ghasha offshore sour gas field development.
Matrix PDM Engineering discusses the importance of management and control of sulphur dust during the forming and handling of sulphur throughout the entire solid sulphur lifecycle while maintaining commercially acceptable product that contains less than 2.0% overall moisture.
Although elemental sulphur is relatively non-toxic, it presents significant risks when stored or transported. DuBois Chemicals Canada highlights advancements in both dust suppression and acidity control, including the development of novel agents designed specifically for use with elemental sulphur.
IPCO highlights the reasons for converting sulphur into a solid form, and compares two of the technologies most commonly used to achieve this.
The Middle East’s premier event for the sulphur global industry, MEScon 2025, returns to the Conrad Abu Dhabi, Etihad Towers from 19 to 22 May 2025.
A complete listing of all articles and news items that appeared in Sulphur magazine during 2024.