Refinery Status: Valero Restarts Crude Unit At Meraux Refinery

The following table lists unplanned and planned production outages at U.S. refineries as reported by Dow Jones Newswire's. The information is compiled from both official and unofficial refining sources and doesn't purport to be a comprehensive list.

Valero Energy Corp. (VLO) said Oct. 8 the process of restarting the crude distillation unit, or CDU, at its refinery in Meraux, Louisiana, is under way. The unit was taken out of service on July 22 due to a fire at a heat exchanger, the company said at that time.

Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) on Oct. 5 said it was performing planned maintenance at a key gasoline-making fluid catalytic cracking unit, or FCCU, at its refinery in Billings, Mont. The work would take several weeks, the company said.

Phillips 66 (PSX) on Oct. 5 said a hydrocracker at its refinery in Rodeo, Calif., was taken down for unplanned maintenance. PSX said the previous day that planned maintenance activities were under way at the refinery but gave no further details.

Motiva Enterprises LLC (RDSA RDSA.LN) could restart its 325,000-barrel-a-day CDU in December, a person familiar with refinery said on Oct. 5. The unit, part of a $10 billion expansion was commissioned in May but shut soon after when an accident resulted in corrosive chemicals rushing into its piping. The original restart estimate was sometime in early 2013.

Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) on Oct. 5 said operations had returned to normal at its Torrance, Calif., refinery following a power outage on Oct. 1. A person familiar with operations at the refinery on Oct. 5 said crude rates are reduced to 90,000 barrels a day until the plant's flare system is repaired, which should take five days.

Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES SUN CG) shut an isomerization unit at the Girard Point section of its Philadelphia refinery for mechanical repairs on Oct. 3, a filing to environmental regulators made public on Oct. 5 said. No further information was provided.

HollyFrontier Corp. (HFC) on Oct. 5 said its Tulsa East diesel hydrotreater unit returned to service as planned within the six to eight weeks time frame previously announced. The unit was shut for repairs following a fire on Aug. 2.

Exxon Mobil on Oct. 5 said initial assessments to evaluate the affected equipment and the investigation into the cause of a fire on Oct. 3 continues. Remaining plant operations were not impacted by the fire, but some impact to operations is expected. The company expects to meet its contractual agreements. The flexicoker taken off line on Sept. 11 to repair a heat exchanger leak remains shuttered.

Philadelphia Energy Solutions shut a CO boiler and may have slightly reduced FCCU output, a person familiar with the plant said on Oct. 2. There is no estimate of when the work will end.

BP PLC (BP BP.LN) completed turnaround maintenance underway since last month at its Whiting, Indiana, refinery a person familiar with operations at the plant said on Oct. 2. The smallest of three crude units restarted on Sept. 30 and an isomerization unit was in restart mode. A hydrotreater unit was returned to service last week.

Motiva Enterprises LLC on Oct. 2 said an impact assessment after a brief fire the day before in a crude distillation unit at its Convent, La., refinery continues. No other process units were affected by the event.

Citgo Petroleum Corp on Oct. 1 said planned maintenance got underway at unspecified units in the East and West facilities at its Corpus Christi, Texas, refinery.

Pasadena Refining Systems Inc. on Oct. 1 said FCCU operations quickly returned to normal after "slight" upsets at its Pasadena, Texas, refinery FCCU on Sept. 28 and 29.

For more detailed information, search Dow Jones Newswires using the code N/REF.

 
Operator   Refinery    Capacity   Description                   Restart 
                       (in 000s 
                       bbl/day) 
UNPLANNED 
 
CANADA 
 
CARIBBEAN 
 
EAST COAST 
 
Phila-   Philadelphia  330.0  Isomerization Unit shut Oct. 
delphia  PA                   3 for mechanical repair, a 
Energy                        filing to regulators said. 
 
                              CO boiler shut for maintenance 
                              may have slightly reduced FCCU 
                              output, a person familiar with 
                              operations said on Oct 2. 
 
 
GULF COAST 
 
 
Exxon    Baytown, TX   584.0  Assessment continues to evalu- 
Mobil                         ate the affected equipment and 
                              the cause of Oct 3 fire, the 
                              co. said on Oct 5. 
                              Hydrofiner Unit 10 depressurized 
                              after the Oct 3 fire a filing 
                              to regulators said. The rest of 
                              the refinery is operating normally. 
                              Some impact to production expected; 
                              all contractual commitments will 
                              be met, the co. said on Oct 5. 
 
                              Flexicoker shut Sep 11 because 
                              of a heat exchanger leak remains 
                              shuttered the co. said on Oct 5. 
                              Repairs were expected to take sev- 
                              eral weeks, the co. said on Sep 20. 
 
Motiva   Convent, LA   235.0  Impact assessment continues after 
                              brief fire at CDU on Oct 1. No 
                              other process units affected, the 
                              co. said. 
 
Motiva   Port Arthur   600.0  Newly commissioned CDU could re-   Dec 
                              restart in Dec. 2012, a person     2012 
                              familiar with operations said 
                              on Oct. 5. The 325k-b/d unit was 
                              shut for extensive repair owing 
                              to corrosion issues in May. 
 
Pasadena Pasadena, TX  100.0  Co. on Oct. 1 said operations re- 
Refining                      turned to normal soon after slight 
                              upsets on Sep 28 and Sep 29. 
 
Phillips  Sweeny, TX   247.0  Process units back on-line Oct.    Oct 2 
66                            2 after early morning power 
                              outage on Sep 30, the co. said. 
 
 
 
 
MIDWEST 
 
CVR      Wynnewood,     70.0  Turnaround work resumed Sep 30 
Energy   OK                   after Sep 29 boiler explosion. 
                              No other process units or area 
                              of the plant affected by the blast. 
 
Exxon    Channahon     238.6  Coker unit rate cut on Sep 23 
         IL                   following a compressor shut- 
                              down. Impact to operations un- 
                              clear. 
 
Holly    Tulsa, OK     125.0  Diesel hydrotreater returned to 
Frontier                      service as planned, the co. said 
                              on Oct. 5. On Aug 5 the company 
                              said repairs would take 6-8 weeks 
                              to complete. 
 
 
ROCKIES 
 
WEST COAST 
 
Chevron  Richmond,     245.0  CDU No. 4 is shut after Aug 6 
         CA                   fire. Most other process units 
                              continue to operate, the co. 
                              said, although gasoline production 
                              was reduced by an unspecified 
                              amount, a Sep 12 DJ report said. 
                              No restart estimate. 
 
Exxon    Torrance,     155.0  Operations returned to normal 
Mobil    CA                   the co. said on Oct 5, after 
                              power outage on Oct 1 resulted 
                              in unit shutdowns and slow- 
                              downs. Person familiar with 
                              operations at the plant on Oct 
                              5 said crude rates reduced to 
                              90K-b/d until flare system 
                              repairs are completed which 
                              should take 5 days. 
 
 
PLANNED 
 
CANADA 
 
Husky    Saskatchewan         Major turnaround to take place     Spring 
Refinery                      in spring of 2013. Plant-wide      2013 
                              shutdown for inspection and 
                              equipment repairs. 
 
CARIBBEAN 
 
Valero   Aruba                Refinery will be converted to a 
                              terminal while the co. continues 
                              to seek a buyer, the co. said on 
                              Sep 4. 
 
EAST COAST 
 
Monroe   Trainer, PA   185.0  Some units will restart Sep 8-9; 
Energy                        full ops expected by month's end 
                              the co. said on Sep 6. 
 
Sunoco   Marcus Hook   190.0  Marcus Hook shut Dec. 1 2011 ahead 
                              of schedule due to poor refining 
                              economics. 
 
GULF COAST 
 
Citgo    Corpus        165.0  Planned maintenance starts Oct. 
         Christi, TX          1 at unspecified units in East 
                              and West Plant facilities, the 
                              co. said on Oct. 1. 
 
Phillips Borger, TX    146.0  FCCU 40 shut Sep 24 for just       Oct 29 
66                            over one month of maintenance;        & 
                              FCCU 29 will shut Oct 21 for       Nov 20 
                              one month, a TCEQ filing said. 
 
Valero   Houston, TX   160.0  FCCU shut for eight weeks of      Nov 20 
                              turnaround maintenance, the co. 
                              said on Sept. 21 
 
Valero   McKee    TX   170.0  Expansion project announced 
                              March 2011 to increase crude oil 
                              throughput by 25,000 b/d to 
                              195,000 b/d. 
 

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires

Valero   Norco, LA     185.0  Hydrocracker project will pro-     2013 
                              ceed and be completed in late 
                              2013, the co. said on 7/27/10. 
 
                              Upgrade project to build           2012 
                              a new diesel hydrotreater 
                              unit moved from 2010 to 
                              4Q 2012. 
 
Valero   Port Arthur   325.0  Hydrocracker project will pro-     Late 
         TX                   ceed and be completed in late      2012 
                              2012. 
 
MIDWEST 
 
BP       Whiting, IN   336.0  Maintenance underway since late    Oct 2 
                              Aug. completed. CDU and isomer- 
                              ization unit restarted Sep 30; 
                              Hydrotreater restarted Sep 27, 
                              a source said on Oct 2. 
 
                              Largest of 3 CDUs will shut in     Late 
                              late in 4Q 2012 for expansion      4Q 
                              project, the co. said July 31.     2012 
                              Project completion set 2nd-half 
                              2013. 
 
BP/Husky Toledo, OH    160.0  4 weeks of maintenance will        Oct 11 
                              begin at FCCU and coker com- 
                              pressors on Sep 13, a person 
                              familiar with the plant said. 
 
CVR      Wynnewood      54.0  Turnaround work resumed Sep 30 
Energy   OK                   after Sep 29 boiler explosion. 
                              No other process units or area 
                              of the plant affected by the blast. 
 
                              30-40 days maintenance in Q3 2012 
         OK                   announced on Nov. 3, 2011. 
 
Holly    Tulsa, OK     125.0  The entire refinery will be shut   Late 
Frontier                      while West Plant section under-    2012 
                              goes major turnaround maintenance 
                              in late 2012, the Co. said on 
                              Aug. 5, 2011. 
 
Holly    El Dorado     139.0  Coker unit undergoing maintenance 
Frontier KS                   until further notice, traders said 
                              on Sep 14. No significant impact 
                              to production is expected. 
 
Husky    Lima, OH      160.0  30-day maintenance will begin      Sept 
Energy                        in Sept. the Co. said on July 24.  2012 
                              Scope of work not disclosed. 
 
                              15-day maintenance planned at      4Q 
                              diesel hydrotreater; 29-days at    2012 
                              aromatics unit, set for 4Q 2012, 
                              the Co. said on Feb 9, 2012. 
 
                              New 20,000-b/d kerosene hydro-     1stH 
                              treater will start up in 1st       2013 
                              half 2013, to co. said on Feb 9, 
                              2012. 
 
                              45-days of major turnaround 
                              scheduled in 2014; 70% of units 
                              involved. Remaining 30% will under 
                              go major turnaround in 2015, the 
                              co. said on Feb 9, 2012. 
 
Phillips Roxana, IL    305.0  Unspecified unit shut for planned 
66                            maintenance on Sep 25, the co. 
                              said. No further details provided. 
 
 
ROCKIES 
 
WEST COAST 
 
Phillips Rodeo, CA      80.0  Planned maintenance is under way 
                              the co. said on Oct. 4. No further 
                              details provided. 
 
Tesoro   Martinez, CA  166.0  Reformer restart began Sep 23 
                              after Sep 16 shutdown reports 
                              to regulators said. 
 
Copyright (c) 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. 
 

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires