By Dow Jones Business News, March 18, 2013, 12:57:00 PM EDT
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.
Chevron Corp. ( CVX ) will be ready to restart the crude distillation unit at its refinery in Richmond, Calif., by the
end of March, the company said March 18. Chevron on March 11 restarted a major electrical unit at its refinery in
Richmond, Calif. The unspecified unit had been shut down to investigate the cause of the upset, a filing to local
environmental regulators said.
Exxon Mobil Corp. ( XOM ) will perform maintenance at one of the units at its refinery in Torrance, Calif., the company
said March 16. No impact to production was expected, the company said.
Philadelphia Energy (CG SUN) restarted 137 crude unit at Girard Point on March 13 after turnaround and 869 alkylation
unit at Point Breeze on March 8 after turnaround, a filing to Philadelphia regulators made available on March 15 said.
BP PLC (BP) on March 15 reported possible flaring at its oil refinery in Carson, beginning on Sunday for about 11
days. Work to swap a piece of ancillary equipment will complete recent turnaround maintenance at the plant's FCCU. The
unit won't be shut down and no material impact to production is expected, a person familiar with operations at the
refinery said.
Northern Tier Energy LP ( NTI ) in April will shut its Saint Paul Park, Minn., refinery for about 25 days to complete
its expansion project that will increase crude-oil throughput of Bakken crude by 10%, or about 8,000 barrels-a-day, the
company said during its fourth quarter and full year 2012 earnings call on March 14. The starting date of the planned
shutdown wasn't specified.
Turnaround maintenance is also planned in October at the plant's key gasoline-making fluid catalytic cracking unit.
The start date of that work also wasn't specified, but it will last most of the month.
Total Petrochemicals ( TOT ) on March 14 reported emissions at its Port Arthur, Texas, refinery due to leaking
exchangers at an alkylation unit's cooling tower, a filing to regulators said. The impact of event on production wasn't
specified.
Valero Energy Corp. ( VLO ) on March 14 said a notice to Calif. regulators was filed in advance of valve work planned at
a propane tank at its Los Angeles-area refinery in Wilmington, beginning on March 15 for five days. The work will have
no material impact to production.
Citgo Corp.'sLake Charles, La., refinery has experienced two upsets in as many days, according to two separate
filings to the U.S. National Response Center. On March 13, a compressor at the refinery's Coker One Unit began flaring a
release of hydrogen sulfide, and on March 12 a leak at the B-Reformer Unit released an unknown quantity of distillate
into the atmosphere. The cause of these events were not known. Citgo wasn't available to comment.
Valero Energy Corp. ( VLO ) on March 13 said an early-day electrical upset at its Port Arthur, Texas, refinery had no
material impact to production. All units were in operation the company spokesman said.
Phillips 66 ( PSX ) on March 13 said maintenance at a key gasoline-making unit's wet gas compressor at its Borger,
Texas, refinery concluded. The planned work got underway on Feb. 27.
Valero on March 11 said the new 57,000 barrels-a-day hydrocracking unit at its Port Arthur, Texas, refinery was shut
for compressor repairs. The same unit had returned to service on March 4 after a five-day unplanned shutdown. A second
45,000 barrels-a-day hydrocracking unit is operating normally, a company spokesman said.
Valero on March 11 said a hydrogen plant upset at its Benicia, Calif., refinery forced the shutdown of a hydrocracking
unit on March 10. A restart timing is not yet available.
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
GULF COAST
Citgo Lake Charles 425.0 Coker One Unit flared on March
13 and B-Reformer Unit leak on
March 12 released distillate.
Impact to production unclear.
Phillips Sweeny, TX 247.0 Refinery in restart on March 10 Mar 14-
66 following loss of third-party 16
power earlier the same day.
Power fully restored, the co.
said on March 11; normal ops
will take several days.
Shell Deer Park 327.0 Small fire on March 10 quickly
Oil TX extinguished by on-site first
responders, to co. said. No
further detail provided.
Flaring of acid gas on March
9 due to equipment failure re-
ported to regulators. Impact
on production unclear.
Total Port Arthur 174.0 Emissions reported on March 14
Petro- TX due to leak at alkylation unit's
chemicals cooling tower. Impact unclear.
Valero Port Arthur 292.0 Early day electrical fault on
Energy TX March 13 had no material im-
pact to production. All units
in operation, the co. said.
New hydrocracking unit shut for
compressor repair on March 10.
No restart estimate available.
MIDWEST
BP PLC Oregon, OH 160.0 Equipment malfunction on Mar. 10
at tail gas thermal oxidizer re-
sults in hydrogen sulfide release.
No impact to production, a per-
son familiar with operations said.
ROCKIES
WEST COAST
Chevron Richmond 245.0 Unspecified "major" electrical March 11
CA restarted on March 11 after
tripping offline. The unit had
been shut to investigate the
cause of the upset.
Valero Benicia 132.0 Hydrocracking unit shut due to
Energy CA hydrogen plant upset on March
10, the co. said on March 11.
Restart timing not yet deter-
mined.
PLANNED
CANADA
Husky Saskatchewan Major turnaround to take place Spring
Energy in spring of 2013. Plant-wide 2013
shutdown is planned for in-
spection and equipment repairs.
Valero Quebec 100.0 Plant-wide shutdown for turn- June
Energy around work will begin in April 2013
and continue for nine weeks.
CARIBBEAN
Valero Aruba Refinery will be converted to a
terminal while the company con-
tinues to seek a buyer.
EAST COAST
PES Philadelphia 335.0 CDU at Girard Point restarted March 13
PA on March 13 after turnaround.
Alkylation unit 869 at Point
Breeze restarted on March 8 March 8
after turnaround.
Aklylation Unit 433 shut March
5 after March 3 restart following
turnaround. No status update a/o
March 15.
PBF Delaware 182.2 Work will be done on fluid coker Q4
Energy City, DE during the Q4 2013. 2013
Paulsboro 160.0 Crude unit maintenance in Q4 Q4
NJ 2013. 2013
GULF COAST
Alon Big Spring 70.0 Refinery will operate at about
USA TX 60,000-b/d in 1Q during mainte-
nance.
Alon Krotz Springs 83.0 Refinery will operate at about
USA LA 57,000-b/d in 1Q during mainte-
nance.
Exxon Baytown 560.5 Coker unit undergoing planned
Mobil TX maintenance, the company said
Jan. 16. The start date and
restart timing wasn't provided.
Houston Houston 268.0 A crude and coker unit are in March
Refining TX early stage of shutdown for 2013
turnaround maintenance, the
company said on Feb. 1.
Throughput reduced by
80,000 barrels a day until work
concludes within first quarter.
Phillips Borger, 146.0 Work on Unit 40 FCCU wet gas March 8
TX compressor concluded as of
March 11, as planned, the co.
The planned work started on
Feb. 27.
Valero Sunray TX 170.0 Five weeks of work on the crude May
McKee unit to begin in April, the co. 2013
said on Jan. 29. Work was origi-
nally set to begin in March for
four weeks.
Valero Norco 185.0 Hydrocracker project will 1st Qtr
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