ExxonMobil said it began restart procedures at its 520,000-bpd Baton Rouge, Louisiana, refinery after external power supply was returned, as reported by Reuters.
The plant was running at half-capacity into the storm and halted operations only when power was jeopardized.
Most refineries generate internal electrical power using gases produced in the refining process. But electricity supplied by utilities such as Entergy Corp is required for the needed balanced power supply.
Utilities also supply electricity to pipelines that supply crude oil to refineries, said Andrew Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates in Houston.
“In essence, electrical power from utilities is required in every step in this process,” Lipow said.
Robert Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho Securities USA, said restarts are neither safe or easy. "You can’t simply flip the switch and bring neither production nor the refinery back online,” he said.
The time to restart the refinery units or entire refineries would begin after power was restored.
Some refiners, like Marathon Petroleum Corp at its 578,000-bpd Garyville, Louisiana plant, are using diesel generators to make repairs so it begin restarting once a stable power supply is restored.
Louisiana oil refineries shut by Hurricane Ida could take weeks to restart, costing operators tens of millions of dollars in lost revenues as they wait for water and electrical power to be restored, analysts said this week.
Ida slammed into Port Fourchon, Louisiana, on Sunday packing 150-mile-per-hour (240 km-per hour) winds that knocked out power to much of the state. Utility outages are hampering refinery, shipping and pipeline operators' ability to resume operations.
Louisiana Governor Jon Bel Edwards on Tuesday advised residents of areas hit by the storm not to return until utilities can be restored.These areas include the homes of refineries operated by PBF Energy Inc, Phillips 66 and Valero Energy Corp .
