Project is company's second large-scale
refinery integrated solar installation in U.S.
CORPUS
CHRISTI, Texas, Aug. 1, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Flint Hills Resources announced today it will be
building its second company-owned solar installation to help power
its U.S. refinery operations. The new solar installation will
provide electricity to the company's Corpus Christi West refinery,
which produces jet fuel, ultra-low sulfur diesel and gasoline, in
addition to the chemical-building blocks used in thousands of
everyday products.
The project is believed to be the second largest utility scale
solar complex in the Corpus
Christi area and the first solar project in Texas to provide onsite, self-generated
electricity directly to an oil refinery. Under optimal conditions,
the solar installation is expected to satisfy nearly one third of
the refinery's power needs.
"We continue to improve our refinery operations and make
progress toward our vision of being the best refining company in
the industry," said Jeff Ramsey,
President and CEO of Flint Hills Resources. "We are proving that
large-scale solar can be successfully integrated into large,
complex industrial facilities, helping to lower costs while
maintaining reliability and improving our environmental
performance."
When complete, the 27-megawatt solar installation will include
approximately 56,700 panels and is expected to help lower annual
energy costs, improve energy efficiency, and reduce grid emissions.
The project will be located on approximately 100 acres of the
company's property across the west refinery complex off of
Interstate Highway 37 in Corpus Christi,
TX.
The facility's expected solar energy production is enough
electricity to power more than 5,100 homes per year and has a peak
capacity of roughly 28% of the refinery's power needs. The
estimated cost of this project is $53
million. Scottsdale,
Arizona-based DEPCOM Power has been selected as the
engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the
project. Both Flint Hills Resources and DEPCOM are subsidiaries of
Koch Companies, LLC.
"This is an uncommon project and exciting opportunity to
integrate solar directly into a large refinery complex, reliably
and at a lower cost than conventional, retail power," said
John Schroeder, DEPCOM's Executive
Vice President of Distributed Energy. "You don't often see
utility-scale projects for a single facility and while this may be
among the first projects of its kind at this scale in Texas, it won't be the last. Distributed solar
generation is proving to be a competitive and reliable source of
power for many energy-intensive industries."
DEPCOM recently completed construction of a similar solar
project at Flint Hills Resources' Pine Bend refinery in
Rosemount, Minnesota. The Pine
Bend 45-megawatt solar project was the largest of its kind in
the United States.
The Flint Hills Resources Corpus Christi solar installation will
be the refinery's second source of on-site power generation. The
refinery also operates a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system,
which provides about 30 megawatts of electricity. The CHP's
cogeneration of electricity and steam is more efficient than
producing them separately, and on-site electricity generation
avoids the energy losses associated with long-distance
transmission, transformation, and distribution of utility supply.
At peak capacity, CHP and solar installation together could satisfy
up to 60% of the Corpus Christi West refinery's daily power needs.
The solar project also improves energy efficiency by locating
generation closer to where the power is being consumed, which
avoids line loss. The emission reductions associated with the solar
project are primarily Scope 2 GHG emissions, which are emissions
from the electrical power generation supplied by electric utilities
needed to operate the refinery.
At Flint Hills Resources, stewardship encompasses the
responsible management of our actions and the resources entrusted
to our care in ways that respect the rights of others. It means we
help provide products people need and use every day, products that
help make modern life possible and improve people's lives. And we
do this responsibly by prioritizing safety and environmental
progress and contributing meaningfully to our communities. We also
never cease to innovate as we constantly seek new and more
efficient ways to produce and deliver the fuels and other products
people depend on, while consuming fewer resources, minimizing waste
and improving the performance of our products and production
processes. We embrace disruptive technologies and their potential
to fundamentally change the world.
Since 2000, Flint Hills Resources Corpus Christi refineries have
reduced criteria air emissions by 70% while increasing production
to meet demand. The refineries have reduced Scope 1 and 2
greenhouse gases by more than 30% relative to production since
2010.
About Flint Hills Resources
Flint Hills Resources is a leading refining company with
operations primarily in the Midwest and Texas. Flint Hills operates the Pine Bend
refinery in Rosemount, Minnesota
and two refineries in Corpus Christi,
TX with a combined crude oil processing capacity of more
than 700,000 barrels per day. The company produces, markets and
transports refined products including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel,
asphalt and heating oils. Flint Hills Resources also owns and/or
operates more than 4,000 miles of pipelines that transport crude
oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas liquids and chemicals
that are delivered through a distribution system of more than 40
terminals throughout the Midwest and Texas.
About DEPCOM Power
DEPCOM Power, a Koch Engineered Solutions business, is an
integrated provider of engineering, procurement, and construction
(EPC) as well as operations and maintenance (O&M) services for
the utility-scale solar and energy storage industries. DEPCOM
leverages a highly experienced power team, technology-agnostic
top-tier equipment, and cost-effective solution delivery methods to
provide optimum levels of agility, price, and quality. For more
information about DEPCOM, please visit depcompower.com.
Contact: Andy Saenz
Andy.Saenz@fhr.com
361-429-9012
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SOURCE Flint Hills Resources