Daily News Energy Headlines from August 17, 2016

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News highlights gathered by Industrial Info and IIR Energy (Sugar Land, Texas) dealing with the energy markets.

CRUDE OIL
U.S. Crude Stockpiles Fall - The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that U.S. crude stockpiles fell by 2.5 million barrels for the week ending August 12 to 521.1 million barrels. Gasoline stocks also declined by 2.7 million barrels. (Reuters)

REFINING
Exxon Slows Baton Rouge Refinery - Sources tell Bloomberg that Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) (Irving, Texas) has curbed operations at its Baton Rouge refinery, shutting four production units and idling others as floods threaten the area. (Offline Event 337927; Plant 1004076) (Bloomberg)

FINANCIAL
BHP Billiton Ends Rocky Fiscal Year with Massive Capital Spending Cuts, Banks on Offshore Drilling - BHP Billion plc (NYSE:BHP) (Melbourne, Australia), the world's top mining firm by market value, suffered a series of crushing setbacks in its fiscal year ended June 30, including the worst mining disaster in Brazil's history. BHP Billiton recorded its worst fiscal-year loss since it was formed in a merger between BHP Limited and Billiton plc in 2001. But BHP Billiton executives pointed to one bright spot in North America for potential growth: deepwater oil drilling. (IIR)

POWER
Natural Gas-Fired Plants on the Rise as Coal Fades - A natural gas-fired power plant buildout is in progress in the Midwest, Great Lakes and Southeast regions of the U.S due to retirements of coal-fired power plants and low natural gas prices. The power generation projects are being constructed between 2016 and 2019 and are meant to replace 10,000 megawatts (MW) from the coal-fired power plants announced to retire during that time frame. (IIR)

Minnesota Photovoltaic Plant to Be Up and Running by End of Year - D. E. Shaw group's (New York, New York) 100-megawatt (MW) North Star Solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant, located in Chisago County, Minnesota, is on schedule to be online by the end of the year. (IIR)

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Energy asset information on power plants, oil refineries and natural gas infrastructure is now more important than ever. A unit of Industrial Info Resources, IIR Energy provides infrastructure information on these assets, as well as real-time tracking of planned and unplanned interruptions affecting the trading, logistics and marketing communities. We are the number one source for information about electricity outages, refinery turnarounds and midstream natural gas disruptions.

About Industrial Info
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.