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Released March 11, 2020 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Refineries typically schedule many of their regular turnarounds in the spring season to prepare for stronger fuel demand in the summer. It remains to be seen how badly COVID-19 concerns will hamper the road trips and long-distance flights that drive seasonal demand, but some of the largest domestic refineries are planning maintenance regardless. Industrial Info is tracking more than 40 maintenance-related projects at refineries across the U.S. that are slated to begin in the second quarter.
"It remains unclear if any of the turnaround activity planned for this quarter will be delayed, as demand has softened for refined products recently," said Chris Paschall, Industrial Info's vice president of research, oil & gas and petroleum refining industries. "Gasoline inventories in the U.S. are above the five-year range, while diesel inventory is on the lower end of the same range."
Click on the image at right for a map of refineries across the Lower 48 with maintenance-related projects set to kick off from April through June.
Following a series of turnarounds in the first quarter, ExxonMobil Corporation's (NYSE:XOM) (Irving, Texas) refinery in Baytown, Texas, expects to kick off its turnaround on Sulfuric Alkylation (SF Alky) Train A, which processes 21,000 barrels per day (BBL/d), next month. The Baytown refinery faced a serious setback last month when a fire disrupted delivery from a natural gas pipeline, burning for roughly seven hours and forcing the shutdown of multiple units at the refinery and an adjoining chemical plant, according to Reuters. No injuries were reported, but several units were shut down as a result. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
ExxonMobil also incurred a fire early last month at its refinery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. No one was injured. The plant, which produces gasoline and jet fuel, is preparing for a turnaround on its Distillate Hydrocracker HCLA, which processes 23,000 BBL/d. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
The Baytown and Baton Rouge complexes are ExxonMobil's second-largest and fifth-largest refineries in the U.S., respectively.
In Louisiana, Royal Dutch Shell plc's (NYSE:RDS.A) (The Hague, Netherlands) is preparing for a quick turnaround on the Vacuum Pipestill (VPS) 2 at its refinery in Convent, which processes 100,000 BBL/d. Last week, Shell restarted a 40,000-BBL/d catalytic reformer at the Convent Refinery, following a fire that broke out from a flange. For more information on VPS 2, see Industrial Info's project report.
Other major turnarounds are far removed from the busy U.S. Gulf Coast region. Par Hawaii Refining LLC's refinery in Kapolei, Hawaii, is the only one left in the Aloha State, following rival Island Energy Services' 2018 decision to exit the refining business. The Kapolei complex is preparing for a series of turnarounds, some of which were delayed from past quarters, including the facility's:
Click here for a full list of second-quarter maintenance-related projects at refineries across the U.S.
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 http://www.industrialinfo.com/.
"It remains unclear if any of the turnaround activity planned for this quarter will be delayed, as demand has softened for refined products recently," said Chris Paschall, Industrial Info's vice president of research, oil & gas and petroleum refining industries. "Gasoline inventories in the U.S. are above the five-year range, while diesel inventory is on the lower end of the same range."
Click on the image at right for a map of refineries across the Lower 48 with maintenance-related projects set to kick off from April through June.Following a series of turnarounds in the first quarter, ExxonMobil Corporation's (NYSE:XOM) (Irving, Texas) refinery in Baytown, Texas, expects to kick off its turnaround on Sulfuric Alkylation (SF Alky) Train A, which processes 21,000 barrels per day (BBL/d), next month. The Baytown refinery faced a serious setback last month when a fire disrupted delivery from a natural gas pipeline, burning for roughly seven hours and forcing the shutdown of multiple units at the refinery and an adjoining chemical plant, according to Reuters. No injuries were reported, but several units were shut down as a result. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
ExxonMobil also incurred a fire early last month at its refinery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. No one was injured. The plant, which produces gasoline and jet fuel, is preparing for a turnaround on its Distillate Hydrocracker HCLA, which processes 23,000 BBL/d. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
The Baytown and Baton Rouge complexes are ExxonMobil's second-largest and fifth-largest refineries in the U.S., respectively.
In Louisiana, Royal Dutch Shell plc's (NYSE:RDS.A) (The Hague, Netherlands) is preparing for a quick turnaround on the Vacuum Pipestill (VPS) 2 at its refinery in Convent, which processes 100,000 BBL/d. Last week, Shell restarted a 40,000-BBL/d catalytic reformer at the Convent Refinery, following a fire that broke out from a flange. For more information on VPS 2, see Industrial Info's project report.
Other major turnarounds are far removed from the busy U.S. Gulf Coast region. Par Hawaii Refining LLC's refinery in Kapolei, Hawaii, is the only one left in the Aloha State, following rival Island Energy Services' 2018 decision to exit the refining business. The Kapolei complex is preparing for a series of turnarounds, some of which were delayed from past quarters, including the facility's:
- crude and vacuum units, with capacities of 75,000 and 40,000 BBL/d, respectively; see project report
- 18,000-BBL/d distillate hydrocracker unit; see project report
- 13,000-BBL/d catalytic reforming unit; see project report
- 11,500-BBL/d visbreaker unit; see project report
- sulfur recovery complex, including a sulfur recovery unit, tail gas treater and amine unit; see project report
Click here for a full list of second-quarter maintenance-related projects at refineries across the U.S.
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 http://www.industrialinfo.com/.
