TotalEnergies’ Small CDU Remains Shut at Port Arthur Refinery

The small crude distillation unit (CDU) remains shut three weeks after the end of planned overhaul work at TotalEnergies' (TTEF.PA) 238,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, said people familiar with plant operations on Friday.

The 40,000-bpd ACU-2 CDU remains shut because the refinery’s 76,000-bpd gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracker 2, which underwent a three-month overhaul that ended in late November, has yet to reach full production, the sources said.

TotalEnergies spokesperson Tricia Fuller declined on Friday to discuss operations at the refinery.

Additionally, the 51,000-bpd Vacuum Distillation Unit-1 (VDU-1), which processes residual crude from ACU-2, also remains shut down and the 5,000-bpd alkylation unit is running at a reduced production level.

FCC-2 had returned to production at 75% of its capacity by Nov. 22 and was expected to return to full production by early the following week.

FCC-2 was shut on Aug. 23 for a planned overhaul that included the replacement of the unit's reactor, a 1.3-million-pound component that was lifted by crane into place on the unit.

ACU-2 is one of two CDUs that breaks down crude oil into feedstocks for all other units at the refinery.

The alkylation unit converts refining byproducts into octane-boosting components added to unfinished gasoline to make premium grades.

(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Leslie Adler and Diane Craft)