Total SA expects production soon from its 225,500-barrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, which has been shut since an Aug. 30 power outage during Tropical Storm Harvey, a company spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
Gulf Coast market sources said the company was proceeding carefully bringing units up to operating temperatures and beginning to circulate feed. None of the units is producing product.
“The Total Port Arthur Refinery is restarting the plant and anticipates first production soon,” said Total spokeswoman Tricia Fuller. “We are preparing for the previously planned turnaround on some process units.”
A planned overhaul of the 78,000 bpd gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracking unit and 5,000 bpd alkylation unit began last week and is continuing as planned, the sources said.
The overhaul is planned to last up to two months, according to the sources.
Most of the units not involved in the turnaround are preparing to restart, the sources said. (Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by James Dalgleish)