Fast Facts
- Was accepted into the Occupational Safety and Health Association's (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) as a Star Site, which recognizes it as one of the safest refineries in the nation
- The refinery has had over $2 billion in upgrades over the past several years
- Total feedstock throughput capacity of 250,000 barrels per day (BPD)
- Products include gasoline, diesel and heating oil
- Employs approximately 600 individuals
- Located on approximately 1,000 acres
- Commissioned in the 1930s, the refinery has had major upgrades
Overview
Valero acquired the St. Charles refinery on July 1, 2003, and is benefiting from over $2 billion in investments in the plant over the past few years. In the last three years, Valero has invested a total of about $700 million, which has made the plant one of the most complex refineries in the nation with a Nelson Complexity rating of 11.6, which is well above the average U.S. refinery.
These investments enabled the plant to process additional heavy feedstocks, increase throughput capacity, upgrade its product yields and improve on-stream reliability.
Output
This versatile high-conversion facility has the ability to process heavy and sour crude oils into a high percentage of light products. Approximately 74 percent of the refinery’s product slate is gasoline, distillates and other light products.
Major refinery units include:
- 190,000-BPD crude distillation unit
- 200,000-BPD vacuum unit
- 100,000-BPD fluid catalytic cracking unit
- 48,000-BPD distillate hydrotreater
- 35,000-BPD gas oil hydrotreater
- 70,000-BPD delayed coker unit
- 36,000-BPD naphtha hydrotreater
- 25,000-BPD continuous catalytic regenerating reformer
- 18,000-BPD alkylation unit
- 60,000-BPD gasoline desulfurization unit
- 12,000-BPD kerosene hydrotreater
Location/Access
The St. Charles refinery is located adjacent to the Mississippi River, .approximately 15 miles from New Orleans. The refinery is strategically located along key feedstock and product transportation corridors. The refinery has access to the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) where it can receive crude oil via a 24-inch pipeline or over five marine docks along the Mississippi River. Finished products can be shipped over these docks or by pipeline into the Bengal and Colonial pipeline networks for distribution to the eastern seaboard of the United States.
Please click here to view the St. Charles refinery operational flow diagram.