Posted on 09/01/2005 12:25:42 PM PDT by American_Centurion
NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp. said Wednesday that restoring products pipeline and marine links, including Mississippi River traffic, was the key to boosting crude runs at its capacity-curbed Baton Rouge, Louisiana, refinery.
Production was slowed from the 494,000 barrel-per-day plant due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina, which slammed into the Gulf Coast Monday, forcing shut nine other refineries and closing nearly all of the crude output from the Gulf of Mexico.
"The release of the SPR (Strategic Petroleum Reserve) oil may be beneficial to some refiners, but restoring pipeline and marine links is most important to restoring runs at our Baton Rouge refinery," said Exxon Mobil's Prem Nair on Wednesday morning.
Exxon Mobil did not comment on whether it had requested oil from the SPR. The Department of Energy said Wednesday it will loan oil to at least one refiner that had requested it in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
The company still has no word on the condition of the Chalmette Refinery LLC facility, which was shut ahead of Katrina, and could not confirm Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu's comments Tuesday that the 190,000 bpd refinery was one of three Louisiana refineries under water.
"We're still gathering information. It's martial law down there and we have not been able to get in to check," said Nair. "We don't know."
Chalmette Refining LLC is a 50-50 joint venture between Exxon Mobil and the state-owned oil company of Venezuela, Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).
Exxon Mobil's refineries at Beaumont and Baytown, Texas, are operating normally, the company said.
"Some service stations in the Baton Rouge area, where there is power, are operating," Exxon Mobil said in a press release sent via e-mail. "We are evaluating other sites and assessing damage. We will work to reopen additional sites as power is restored, product deliveries are possible and it is safe to open. Stations in the New Orleans area are closed and we are attempting to assess damage to those sites."
Meanwhile, Exxon also said crews were running assessments of its offshore oil and gas production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico. It said damage to the majority of its offshore structures was limited, but 45,000 pbd of oil and 760 million cubic feet per day of natural gas were shut down.
Read this article http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1475019/posts?page=1 and wondered how bad the refinery in Baton Rouge was affected.
Google retrieved article posted here, both are cross referenced.
Heard this morning that Atlanta's pipelines are without power; as a result, half the gas stations are out of gas. Traffic is light.
The good news in this article is that the other Exxon Refineries are working fine. But that pipeline needs to be re-opened ASAP.
As soon as we can round up and provide for survivors the Petroleum industry needs to provided as much help as possible to restore this lost capacity.
I was not aware that Gasoline was piped anywhere other than from the refinery to a truck.
This catastrophe has brought to the forefront one more American weakness.
Bad people are paying close attention to these lessons.
If those two plants were underwater, than so was the Chevron refinery (the 4th largest refinery in the US) was also underwater since it was between them and the Gulf
Where is the Chevron refinery located?
I only know of the Exxon plant because I visited it once.
Nine feet ... wow. Who are they? BTW, using "MM" for "million" is SO petrochemical of you. (I was in the industry until 4 years ago and still do this myself).
Too cheap to rent a chopper?
Isn't there a huge Dupont plant in this area as well...or is that what you are refering to?
Pascagoula, MS
First Chemical Corporation (DuPont) is one of my accounts in Pascagoula, MS. It will take a year to rebuild everything, my guess.
Traffic will get even lighter the longer the stations are out of gas. There is some kind of correlation. These might not be busy days on the road this Labor Day weekend.
If I didn't already have a ticket to NC for the weekend, I'd stay right home.
But their SUPPLY was still enough to operate. And that might have come from A LOT closer than 300 miles. Sheezzz.
I would sell the ticket and buy stock in Caterpiller. They are going to need some new equipment, about 1000 20 yard scrapers, about 500 articulated front end loaders, about 500 bulldozers, and associated maintenance parts, and Cat has got just what they need.
If CAT donates much of the equipment, will their stock still bump?
Never mind #19. I checked the charts and it's a buy. Thanks!
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