US Refinery Status: Valero's Port Arthur Plant Shuts Coker

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

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

Valero Energy Corp.'s (VLO) said Tuesday that all three modules of the 105,000-barrel-a-day coker at its Port Arthur, Texas, refinery were shut to repair cracks in the coke drums. Valero also said Tuesday that the FCCU at its Texas City, Texas, that was restarted over the weekend after repairs is over the weekend is operating at planned rates.

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

 
 
Operator   Refinery    Capacity   Description                  Restart 
                       (in 000s 
                       bbl/day) 
 
UNPLANNED 
 
CANADA 
 
Suncor     Alberta             One of two oil sands up-             n/a 
                               graders is back to normal 
                               rates, co said Nov. 2 
                               following a minor fire on Oct 12. 
 
Suncor     Sarnia      85.0    Hydrocracker unit shut Oct           n/a 
           Ontario             11 due to fire at associated 
                               compressor; no  restart esti- 
                               mate available. 
 
EAST COAST 
 
Conoco     Linden    238.0     Officials consider run cuts      n/a 
           N.J.                due to slack demand, a per- 
                               son familiar with operations 
                               said on July 17. 
 
CARIBBEAN 
 
CPC     Bayamon        48.0  Explosion, fire at facility     n/a 
        Puerto Rico          early on Oct. 23. 11 out of 
                             30 storage tanks exploded. 
 
Hovensa St. Croix  500.00    Shuts FCCU unit for repairs.   Nov. 6 
 
GULF COAST 
 
BP      Texas City    455.8  SRU hit snag Oct. 26, back to normal Oct. 27 
                             Co. restarts Ultraformer #4 Nov. 1 
                             BP restarting ultracracker on 
                             Nov. 7-19. 
 
Citgo      Corpus     163.0  Alkylation unit shut July 19        end-Oct 
           Christi, TX      by near-fatal explosion to 
                             return to service by end-Oct. 
                             The restart was delayed from 
                             early-Oct due to safety issues. 
                             FCCU, restarted Oct. 29 
 
Conoco    Sweeny     247.0   Briefly shuts H purfication unit 
                             Nov. 5. 
 
Conoco   Borger, TX  146.0   Reported process upset Nov. 11. 
 
Motiva   Port Arthur 285.0   FCCU hits snag on Oct. 31. 
         TX 
 
Valero     Corpus    142.0   Restarting West Plant Hydrocracker 
                             unit Oct. 25 that was shut Oct. 7 
                             due to small fire. An SMR unit was shut 
                             for maintenance after the 
                             fire; restart Oct. 10. 
                             West Plant stabilizer tower shut 
                             for maintenance Oct. 26-27. 
                             Restarting East Plant's Tank 79 
                             on Oct. 9. 
                             East Plant valve Snag Nov. 6 caused 
                             tail gas unit heater to shut. 
 
Valero    Texas City  199.5  Experienced flaring at Complex 1 
                             tower on Oct. 23. 
                             FCCU operating at normal rates Nov. 17 
                             after being restarted over the weekend; 
                             shut Oct. 25 to repair a slide valve. 
 
Valero   Port Arthur  310.0  SRU operations briefly interrupted 
         TX                  after heater tripped off Nov. 14; 
                             another unit was brought online. 
 
 
Total   Port Arthur   232.0  Operations being restored 
        TX                   on Oct. 22 following plant 
                             wide power failure earlier 
                             in the day. 
                             A fire occurred in a heavy oil    n/a 
                             line between the crude unit and 
                             the tank farm on Oct 13 during 
                             the restart of several process 
                             units that were knocked off-line 
                             earlier that day by a power snag. 
                             Identifying a leaky exchanger that 
                             is causing a cooling tower Oct. 26. 
 
                             Co. restarts 3 units Oct. 29, after 
                             brief shutodwn. 
 
 
Chevron Pascagoula,   330.0  A blown cap as plant prepared to 
        MS                   to transfer molten sulfur to a 
                             barge released the compound into 
                             the water Oct. 25. 
 
 
MIDWEST 
 
ROCKY MOUNTAINS 
Exxon     Billings, MT  60.0  Operations returned to normal 
                              after a brief power outage hit 
                              the area Oct. 23. 
 
Conoco    Billings, MT  58.0  A brief area power outage Oct. 23 
                              impacted operations, local reports. 
 
CHS       Laurel, MT    55.0  Operations returned to normal 
                              after a brief power outage Oct. 23. 
 
Holly     Wood Cross    25.0  Brief power outage shuts units Nov. 4. 
          Utah                Restarted same day. 
 
Flying J  Salt Lake     29.4  Brief power outage shuts units Nov. 4. 
          Utah                Restarted same day. 
 
WEST COAST 
 
Chevron    El Segundo    274.0  Reported flaring at hydrocracker 
           CA                   site on Oct. 24. 
                                A brief period of flaring        n/a 
                                on Oct 14 is reported to 
                                state regulators. Filing 
                                lists cause as "breakdown." 
 
Tesoro    Wilmington     100.0  Fuel gas system upset Nov. 14 
          CA                    caused boilers, process heaters 
                                and co-gen unit to release emissions. 
 
PLANNED 
 
CANADA 
 
CARIBBEAN 
 
Valero     Aruba         235.0  The refinery that was shut 
                                in June for 2-3 months for 
                                economic reasons is being 
                                closed indefinitely. 
 
EAST COAST 
 
Sunoco    Westville, NJ  145.0  Idling all refining              Mid-Nov 
                                operations indefinitely due 
                                to poor economics, Co. said 
                                Oct. 6. It will take 4-6 
                                weeks to work through crude 
                                stocks to shut down. 
 
                                Reformer unit shut in Girard     n/a 
                                Point section in early Oct 
                                for economic reasons. Shutdown 
                                to last 1-6 months. 
 
Valero     Delaware City 210.0  Coker Unit shut Oct 3-4 and      n/a 
           DE                   related gasifier unit to shut 
                                within a few days for economic 
                                reasons. 
                                Maintenance at 80,000-b/d 
                                FCCU/akly delayed to Nov./Dec. 
                                Entire plant to be shut down. 
 
Western    Yorktown       64.5  Planned work scheduled 1Q 2010. 
           Va. 
 
MIDWEST 
Frontier   Kansas         130.0  Work will reduce charge          4Q 
                                 rates to 123,000 bbls/day 
 
Western    Bloomfield,     16.8  Co. announced plans Nov. 9 
           NM                    to idle plant and shift 
                                 production to Gallup plant. 
 
Western    Gallup,         20.8  Utilization will be boosted 
           NM                    to near full capacity with 
                                 Bloomfield shutdown, from 
                                 about half, Co. said Nov. 9. 
 
Tesoro    Salt Lake City,  58.0  Planned turnaround in 2010; 
          Utah                   no timetable disclosed. 
 
Tesoro    Mandan, N.D.     58.0  Planned turnaround in 2010; 
                                 no timetable disclosed. 
 
Exxon     Joliet, Ill.    238.6  Vacuum distillation unit restarted 
                                 earlier this week after planned 
                                 work, Co. said Nov. 11. 
 
GULF COAST 
 
Alon       Krotz Springs  80.0  Plantwide turnaround starts      Nov. Dec. 
           LA.                  In Nov. 
 
Alon       Big Spring,    67.0  Restarted SRU on Nov. 6. 
           TX 
 
Chevron    Pascagoula,   330.0  Pre-commercial heavy oil         2010 
           Miss.                conversion project delayed 
                                from 2008 to 2010 due to 
                                economic factors. 
 
Conoco    Borger, TX     146.0  Unidentified units shut for 
                                planned turnaround, Co. said 
                                Oct. 9. No further details. 
                                Shut amine unit for planned     Oct. 24 
                                maintenance Oct. 9-24. 
 
                                Shut Unit 34 SRU and tail gas   Nov. 15 
                                treatment unit for planned 
                                repairs Nov. 12-15. 
 
Conoco     Sweeny, TX    247.0  Six weeks of turnaround work     Oct 30 
                                starts Sept. 14 at Units 14, 
                                9, 38 and 27, which is an 
                                FCCU. 
 

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November 17, 2009 09:56 ET (14:56 GMT)

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