US Refinery Status: Valero Restarts Corpus Christi Butamer Unit
May 26, 2009

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.

Most recently, Valero Energy (VLO) Monday restarted Butamer Unit No. 36 in Complex 6 of its Corpus Christi, Texas, refinery following maintenance. It is not clear when the unit was taken off line.

Delek US (DK) shut a SCOT unit at its Tyler, Texas refinery Sunday due to operational difficulties. The shutdown was not expected to impact operations at Sulfur Recovery Unit 2 or any other refining operations.

On Saturday, a lightning strike at Flint Hills Resources' Corpus Christi, Texas, refinery sparked a brief fire at the floating roof of a naphtha tank in the West Plant, burning less than 100 gallons of the product. The event did not impact refining operations.

Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) Friday said that a coker drum in Coker Unit No. 6 at its Beaumont, Texas, refinery was taken off line after a crack was discovered. The impact on the Coker Unit's operations wasn't clear.

ConocoPhillips (COP) concluded planned maintenance at its Rodeo, Calif., refinery, the Company said on Friday. The work began in early March and was initially expected to end within 45 days from the start-up. Trade sources said the maintenance took place at the refinery's hydrocracker and reformer units; the Co. would not confirm.

Exxon Mobil Corp.'s Torrance, Calif., refinery will perform planned maintenance in July at one of two coker units, traders doing business with the refiner said on Friday.

And a source with knowledge of operations at BP's (BP) Carson, Calif., refinery said Friday that maintenance was unnderway at an unspecified unit(s) through May 29.

Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA) said Wednesday morning that its Deer Park, Texas, refinery returned to normal operations after a snag at a crude unit.

A May 17 explosion caused a fire that was put out Monday night at Sunoco Inc.'s (SUN) Marcus Hook, Pa., oil refinery. The refinery was running at 85% of planned rates. The company ramped up production at its two other refineries to cover the production loss.

Exxon Mobil Corp. on May 18 said it had completed work on a hydrocracker unit that was shut down unexpectedly last week at its Baytown, Texas, refinery.

Source: Dow Jones Newswires

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