HOUSTON (Reuters) – Motiva Enterprises on Monday began restarting the second-largest crude distillation unit (CDU) at its 607,000 barrel-per-day Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, said sources familiar with plant operations.
A Motiva spokesperson did not reply to a request for comment.
The 195,000-bpd VPS-4 was among units shut at the Motiva refinery, the nation’s largest, on Sunday morning by a power outage, the sources said. Power was restored by Monday morning.
In addition to VPS-4, the 54,000-bpd coker, the 49,000-bpd catalytic reformer 4 and the 25,200-bpd heavy gas oil hydrotreater were shut by the power outage.
VPS-4 is one of three units that breaks down crude oil into feedstocks for all other units at the refinery.
Cokers convert residual crude oil from distillation units into either motor fuel feedstocks or petroleum coke, which can be used as a coal substitute.
Reformers convert refining by-products into octane-boosting components added to unfinished gasoline.
Hydrotreaters use hydrogen to remove sulfur from motor fuels in compliance with U.S. environmental rules.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Louise Heavens and Dan Grebler)
