HOUSTON, Sept 10 (Askume) – One of the largest U.S. refineries will cut production on Tuesday as Hurricane Francine is expected to pass east of the refinery, Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) Baton Rouge refinery, Louisiana.
ExxonMobil plans to cut production at its 522,500 barrel-per-day Baton Rouge refinery by 20% when Francine comes ashore on Wednesday, sources said. The refinery is the sixth-largest in the United States.
“We are closely monitoring and preparing for severe weather that could impact our Baton Rouge operations,” said ExxonMobil spokeswoman Lauren Kite. “Our primary focus is the safety of our employees and communities in the affected areas. We will continue to work toward our customer commitments.”
Francine strengthened into a hurricane Tuesday night, prompting Louisiana residents to flee inland ahead of expected landfall on Wednesday, bringing life-threatening winds, torrential rain and storm surges up to 10 feet (3 meters).
Exxon and Shell’s (SHEL.L) 233,702 barrel-per-day refinery in Norco, Louisiana , plans to rely on “through” crews to keep the refinery operating while the storm passes.
All workers at the Norco refinery, except for the walk-through crew, were sent home at noon CDT (1700 GMT) on Tuesday, sources familiar with Norco’s operations said.
Shell confirmed in a statement posted on the company’s website that the refinery will rely on ride-hailing crews.
Sources said the company plans to maintain full production even during the storm.
At the Baton Rouge refinery, workers operating the refinery are scheduled to work 18-hour shifts during the storm, ExxonMobil sources said.
Marathon Petroleum Corp (MPC.N) declined to discuss plans to operate its 597,000 barrel-per-day refinery in Garyville, Louisiana, the fourth-largest U.S. refinery, during the storm.
“We can say that we have comprehensive plans and procedures in place to protect our people, property, neighbors and the environment during severe weather,” Marathon spokesman Jamal Kheiri said.
PBF Energy’s (PBF.N) Chalmette, La., refinery and Valero Energy’s (VLO.N) 125,000 barrel-per-day refinery in Meraux, La., are also under construction in Francine.
