MOSCOW (MRC) -- Motiva Enterprises plans for the largest US crude oil refinery to return to making motor fuels by Sept. 11 following restart from a complete shutdown, reported Reuters with reference to sources familiar with plant operations.
Motiva has restored utilities ahead of starting up production units at its 607,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, which was shut on Aug. 25 when Hurricane Laura menaced the US Gulf Coast.
The refinery went through a cold shutdown, meaning all units were completely idled and allowed to cool down. Cold shutdowns are rare events.
The utilities at the refinery were also shut.
Temperatures on production units will have to be raised as high as 1,000 Fahrenheit (578 C) before oil and other feedstocks can be added. The units will be returned to production after sitting idle.
The fuels produced will have to meet specifications before they are sent to terminals and retail stations.
As MRC wrote before, Motiva Chemicals at Port Arthur, Texas, began shutting down light olefin operations last Monday to prepare for the arrival of Tropical Storm Laura.
Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing PE and polypropylene (PP).
According to MRC's DataScope report, PE imports to Russia dropped in January-June 2020 by 7% year on year to 328,000 tonnes. High density polyethylene (HDPE) accounted for the main decrease in imports. At the same time, PP imports into Russia rose in the first six months of 2020 by 21% year on year to 105,300 tonnes. Propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) accounted for the main increase in imports.
Motiva Enterprises, LLC, is a fully owned affiliate of Saudi Refining Inc. and headquartered in Houston, Texas, United States with revenue of USD24 billion. Previously, it was a 50–50 joint venture between Shell Oil Company (the wholly owned American subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell) and Saudi Refining Inc. (controlled by Saudi Aramco).
MRC