ExxonMobil to build new crude oil refinery unit at Texas facility

ExxonMobil started construction on a new crude oil refinery unit at its Beaumont, Texas, facility that will increase crude refining capacity by more than 65 percent, or 250,000 barrels per day.

It is the third crude unit at the facility. It became necessary due to increased crude oil production in the Permian Basin.

“With access to terminals, railways, pipelines, and waterways nearby, the Beaumont refinery is strategically positioned to benefit from Permian production growth,” Bryan Milton, president of ExxonMobil Fuels and Lubricants Company, said. “The addition of a third crude unit in Beaumont will enhance the refinery’s competitive position and truly establish it as a leader in the U.S. refining industry.”

The new unit is set to go online by 2022. It will create up to 1,850 jobs during construction and between 40 and 60 permanent jobs once completed.

It’s part of ExxonMobil’s Growing the Gulf initiative, wherein it plans to build and expand manufacturing facilities in the U.S. Gulf region. The initiative includes the expansion of Beaumont’s polyethylene capacity by 65 percent, a new unit in Beaumont that increases production of ultra-low sulfur fuels, and a new 1.5 million ton-per-year ethane cracker at the company’s integrated Baytown chemical and refining complex in Texas.

ExxonMobil’s operations in Beaumont include a 366,000 barrel-per-day capacity refinery, as well as chemical, lubricants and polyethylene plants. ExxonMobil employees about 2,100 people at the Beaumont facility.