Lyondell to halve Houston Refinery Runs for a Month

LyondellBasell said on Thursday crude oil refining at its 268,000 barrel per day (bpd) Houston refinery would be cut in half for about four weeks while damage from a Monday fire is repaired. The company also said the restart of a crude distillation unit unaffected by the fire was on schedule.

"We remain on schedule to have that unit on line by the end of the week," said Lyondell spokesman David Harpole on Thursday. The Monday afternoon fire broke out in the second CDU at the refinery.

The two CDUs perform the initial refining of crude oil coming into the refinery. Each CDU accounts for about half of the refinery's crude refining capacity of 268,000 bpd.

Since the fire, the refinery has continued to make finished refined products like gasoline and diesel with partially finished products on hand at the refinery.

Lyondell will continue maintain production of finished fuel products while the CDU is shut for repairs. Harpole declined to say if the refinery will maintain normal production levels of finished fuel products while the CDU is shut. In addition to making motor fuels like gasoline and diesel, the Houston refinery provides feedstocks for chemical plants Lyondell owns.

Lyondell emerged from 16 months in bankruptcy on April 30. The company filed for bankruptcy protection due to a drop in refining profits.