Hurricane Nate Hits U.S. Gulf Coast After Producers, Refiners Take Precautions

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Before it was downgraded to a tropical storm on Sunday, Nate joined Harvey and Irma as the third hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland in six weeks. A 300-mile stretch of the U.S. Gulf Coast, running from eastern Louisiana to westernmost Florida, was expected to see the brunt of the storm, while most of Louisiana and northern Florida, and the remainder of Mississippi and Alabama, were expected to see heavy rainfall and winds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other sources.

Industrial Info is tracking more than 200 industrial plants on the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama that are in the current path of the storm. Nearly 4 billion standard cubic feet per day or natural gas processing and 52,000 barrels per day (BBL/d) of oil processing could be affected, as could more than 7,700 megawatts (MW) of power generation and 409,000 BBL/d of refining capacity.

Industrial Info's new Disaster Impact Tracker is monitoring the course of the storm and its potential impact on plant operations. The Disaster Impact Tracker allows users to see the plants that are affected by a natural disaster, such as hurricanes or earthquakes, and those that could be impacted by future weather-related events. The tool uses numerous third-party organizations to obtain the most accurate information on natural disasters and how they affect plants within the "disaster zone." Download today's report here.

Nearly all oil producers in the central Gulf of Mexico withdrew workers or curbed production in the past several days, according to Reuters. Among them was ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) (Houston, Texas), which began evacuating non-essential personnel from its Magnolia oil platform on Friday. The facility, which has about 50 employees, has a design capacity of 50,000 BBL/d of oil and 150 million standard cubic feet per day of gas. For more information on the platform and its features, see Industrial Info's profile.

On Friday, Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) (San Ramon, California) announced it would reduce rates at its 325,000-barrel-per-day (BBL/d) refinery in Pascagoula, Mississippi, over the weekend in anticipation of Hurricane Nate. The refinery was expected to run at minimum rates, although an exact timeline was not provided. Likewise, Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) (Houston, Texas) said it was preparing to shut its 247,000-BBL/d refinery in Alliance, Louisiana, as a precautionary measure. For more information on the refineries and their features, see Industrial Info's plant profiles for the Pascagoula and Alliance facilities.

Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency for all of Louisiana on Friday.

According to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), personnel have been evacuated from a total of 66 production platforms, or 8.96% of all platforms in the Gulf of Mexico; and from five non-dynamically positioned rigs, or 20% of all such rigs in the Gulf. Eleven dynamically positioned rigs, or 61%, have moved off location and out of the storm's path.

The BSEE said Friday that 1.24 million barrels of oil production, or 71.1% of that in the Gulf of Mexico, has been shut in, as has 1.71 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas production, or 53.2%.

Nate devastated Central America late last week, before moving north through the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. At least 22 fatalities and widespread property damage were reported in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras and El Salvador. Industrial Info is tracking nearly $44 billion in active projects in these countries, including more than $8 billion in projects related to power generation and about $745 million related to the production, terminaling and refining of oil and gas.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at https://www.industrialinfo.com/.