Motiva Shuts Louisiana Reformer, Other Production Cut (Update2)
By Aaron Clark
Oct. 8, 2009 (Bloomberg) — Motiva Enterprises LLC has shut a reformer and is operating a hydrocracker and diesel and naphtha hydrotreaters at reduced rates at the Norco, Louisiana, refinery, according to a refinery official.
The catalyst-reformer unit was shut down after a compressor tripped offline yesterday, according to the person, who declined to be identified by name.
We expect to complete repairs and resume planned rates within three to four days, said Kevin Thompson, a spokesman for the plant, in an e-mail. The refinery is operating at slightly reduced rates.
The 220,000-barrel-a-day plant accounts for 2.6 percent of Gulf Coast capacity, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Motiva is a refining and marketing joint venture of Saudi Refining Inc., a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, and Shell Oil Co., a unit of Royal Dutch Shell Plc.
The premium to New York Mercantile Exchange futures on the Gulf Coast for conventional 87-octane gasoline was unchanged from yesterday at 0.38 cent at 3:33 p.m., according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The prompt delivery price gained 5.94 cents to $1.7835 a gallon.
Gulf Coast spot gasoline prices jumped yesterday after Valero Energy Corp. reported a small fire and shut a hydrocracker unit yesterday at its Corpus Christi, Texas, refinery. Valero is still assessing the effects of the fire and will determine later how long the unit will be offline, Bill Day, a company spokesman, said in an e-mail today.
To contact the reporter on this story: Aaron Clark in New York at aclark27@bloomberg.net