US Refinery Maintenance Update

The latest update on the US refinery maintenance schedule. As of 22 January, 1.4mbpd of crude processing capacity remained offline in PADD3 and a total of 1.7mbpd was out across the US, down from 1.9mbpd last week according to WoodMackenzie.

• Delek’s VP of operations for Brentwood Joseph Israel expects the upcoming refinery maintenance season to be one of the heaviest every with around 1.5mbpd of daily crude processing activity offline during February and mid-March.
• Valero Energy began a planned overhaul on the large CDU at its 335kbpd refinery in Port Arthur on 15 Jan according to Reuters sources. In addition to shutting the 210kbpd AVU-146 CDU, Valero brought down a coker and a VDU associated with AVU-146, the sources said. The work is planned to take 45 days. The AVU-146 shutdown will impact half the units across the refinery. WoodMac reported increased activity began at the 265kbpd CDU and 172kbpd VDU on 19 Jan, but remained below normal. The units were shut on 15 Jan. The 53kbpd catalytic reformer remained shut since 16 Jan and the hydrocracker and coker since 15 Jan. Planned works are expected to start at the coker in late Jan.
• TotalEnergies’ 238kbpd Port Arthur refinery in Texas remained shut on Jan 18 following a plant-wide power outage on Jan 16 according to Reuters sources. Total was previously reported to be preparing to restart multiple units on Wednesday and working to restore power to the refinery. WoodMac reported the refinery is conducting a startup that may result in emissions through 9 Feb.
• ExxonMobil is overhauling the 65kbpd hydrocracker and the 75kbpd reformer at its 619.024kbpd Beaumont refinery in Texas, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Works at the refinery began on 8 January. Bloomberg sources reported in December the turnaround will last for 5-6 weeks.
• ExxonMobil’s Baytown refinery in Texas remains at reduced rates amid cold weather conditions, according to Bloomberg citing spokesperson Lauren Knight. A flexicoker, fluid catalytic cracker FCCU-3 cut rates due to cold.
• ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge refinery began a planned overhaul on its FCC and hydrocracker on 20 Jan according to Reuters sources. The 110,000 bpd FCC and 23,000 bpd hydrocracker are shut for a two-month planned overhaul.
• The 67kbpd hydrocracker at Pemex’ Deer Park refinery was shut down on 5 January according to WoodMac. A headline on 16 January on Bloomberg said the refinery reported work activities, citing TCEQ.
• Motiva’s Port Arthur refinery on the Texas Gulf Coast shut the FCCU No 2, the delayed coker unit 1 and hydrotreater No 4 on 15 January due to freezing temperatures, according to a report from the TCEQ. “The facility took immediate action to stabilize the process units and minimize the flaring to the extent possible”, it said. The refinery shut the 345kbpd VPS-5 crude unit the first week of January and has begun maintenance on the unit 8 January, people familiar with operations said. Works were scheduled to last 45 days.
• Marathon’s Wilmington refinery in Los Angeles lost power at 1:30am local time on Monday according to a notice from the California Office of Emergency Services. Increased activity was observed at the hydrocracker on the same day according to Bloomberg.
• Marathon’s Garyville refinery shut the 283kbpd CDU and 149kbpd VCU on 15 Jan according to WoodMac. Bloomberg estimates the unplanned works to last until 27 Jan.
• Marathon’s Los Angeles refinery is undergoing planned maintenance since 12 January for one month, shutting the 175kbpd CDU, the 37kbpd CDU and 62kbpd VDU according to Bloomberg.
• Marathon has scheduled flaring at the Carson section of its 382kbpd Los Angeles refinery on 24 January according to a company filing.
• Suncor’s Commerce City East refinery in Colorado shut the 34kbpd CDU and 8kbpd VDU on 16 Jan according to Woodmac.
• Delek’s Big Spring refinery shut the CDU/VDU, FCC, 26kbpd reformer feed hydrotreater on 17 Jan in an unplanned outage. Works are scheduled to last until 29 Jan according to Bloomberg.
• Citgo’s Corpus Christi refinery saw decreased activity at the 45kbpd ULSD hydrotreater on 19 Jan. One of the unit’s two furnace stacks was also shut according to WoodMac.
• PBF’s Toledo refinery began planned works on the 172.8kbpd hydrocracker/CDU on 15 January. Works are scheduled to last for 40-50 days according to Bloomberg.
• PBF’s Chalmette refinery is undergoing planned works at the CR 2 crude units until 14 February according to Bloomberg.
• PBF will also shut the FCC at its 171kbpd Delaware City, Delaware, refinery in 1Q for 40-50 days and the 156kbpd Martinez refinery near San Francisco will shut a hydrocracker in 2Q for 40-50 day according to the firm’s guidance.
• Placid’s Port Allen refinery had an unplanned outage on 8 Jan, shutting down the FCC, gasoline hydrotreater for around 45 days. The entire plant will slow or shut down during the works according to Bloomberg.