Tampa: Planned maintenance has cut capacity at the BP refinery in Whiting, Ind., sources said. Included in the turnaround were a 290,000 barrel/d crude distillation unit and a 110,000 barrel/d fluid catalytic cracking unit. Combined, the work was expected to reduce output by approximately 50 percent from the facility’s 430,000 barrel/d peak. Sources expected the work to continue into November.
Additionally, ExxonMobil Corp.’s Joliet, Ill., refinery was said to be in the midst of a planned turnaround. That facility is rated at 239,000 barrels/d.
Molten sulfur delivered to Tampa carried a contract price of $69.55/lt DEL for the fourth quarter.
Domestic refinery utilization dipped last week, according to data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA noted capacity at 85.0 percent for the week ending Oct. 14, a 0.5 percent decline from the prior week’s 85.5 percent and the sixth consecutive period of falling refinery runs since early September. Current-week rates also fell shy of both the year-ago 86.4 percent and the five-year average of 86.3 percent.
Crude inputs fell accordingly, notching an average 15.370 million barrels/d, 182,000 barrels/d below the previous week’s 15.552 million barrels/d.
U.S. Gulf: LyondellBasell Ind. reported an operational upset at its 268,000 barrel/d Houston, Texas, refinery on Oct. 12. Few details were available, but a nasdaq.com report cited a faulty “tail gas unit” for the breakdown.
Price ideas for Gulf prills fell in the $65-$70/mt FOB range based on recent sales into Brazil.
Vancouver: The Vancouver solid sulfur market continued to be quoted in the $65-$70/mt FOB range last week.
Last-done on the Chinese import market was quoted at $88-$90/mt FOB, flat from the previous report. Most-recent sales were said to fall closer to the $90/mt FOB mark.
Some observers reported keeping close watch on Alberta sulfur pricing. Historically, the market has loosely followed the Tampa molten contract in price and direction, although persistent weakness at Tampa has redirected a significant portion of Alberta production offshore instead, sources said. Third-quarter netbacks were noted in the (-)$55-$20/mt range.
West Coast: The Suncor Energy Inc. refinery in Commerce City, Colo., went offline after a power outage triggered a safety shutdown on Oct. 14, according to numerous reports.
The blackout caused a release of unidentified orange smoke from the facility, prompting local officials to issue a shelter-in-place order. A restart of the 98,000 barrel/d refinery was begun on Oct. 16, and sources estimated the refinery would require several days to return to full operation.
The West Coast solid sulfur market was called $60-$65/mt FOB. Fourth-quarter molten contracts were noted at $50-$75/lt FOB.