Valero Reports Power Loss to Equipment at McKee Refinery

   By Dan Molinski 
 

Valero Energy Corp. reported a loss of power to a piece of equipment at its McKee refinery which it said caused an emission of particulates and above-average opacity.

In a filing posted Monday on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality website, Valero said there was "excess opacity" at the refinery for an hour Sunday "caused by a loss of power 'due' to the Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) shutting down." An ESP is used to reduce particulates from the fluid catalytic cracker unit, a key part of the refinery.

"The refinery did not receive any complaints from neighbors as a result of the incident and does not have knowledge that the event caused or contributed to a condition of air pollution," said the statement from the 195,000 barrel-a-day refinery. It said power to the ESP was later restored.

Representatives from the refinery, located in the Texas panhandle, weren't immediately available to comment on the filing, so it wasn't clear if production was impacted or if operations were now back to normal.

Write to Dan Molinski at [e-mail]

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September 14, 2015 14:49 ET (18:49 GMT)

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