Project Profile
Investment: US$850 million
Location: Texas Gulf Coast, 90 miles east of Houston, USA
Capacity: 335,000-bpd
commissioned: 1901
The Valero Port Arthur Refinery was commissioned in 1901 and has had many process additions and improvements in its history. In 2001, nearly US$850 million was invested in a delayed coker and hydrocracker to enable the plant to run heavy, sour crude. Other investments include the recent expansion of the coker to 95,000 barrels per day (BPD) from 85,000 BPD, and the most recent expansion of the crude and vacuum units have increased the refinery’s ability to process lower-cost, heavy sour crude oil and increased throughput capacity to 310,000 bpd. The refinery is strategically located on the Texas Gulf Coast, approximately 90 miles east of Houston. The refinery’s location accommodates its extensive logistics system, which includes access to Gulf Coast water-borne crude oil via the refinery docks or through the Nederland, Texas, terminals of Sun or Oil Tanking.
The refinery has the ability to process 100% sour crude oil, of which up to 80% can be heavy sour crude oil. Production includes conventional, premium and reformulated gasoline before oxygenate blending, as well as diesel, jet fuel, petrochemicals and petroleum coke. Crude oil is received from the Valero dock or by pipeline from the Sun Oil Company dock and / or the Oil Tanking dock at Port Neches, Texas.
Operators:
Valero Energy Corp: Operator with 100% interest