"Matt Barrow" wrote:
"Luke Skywalker" wrote in message
ups.com...
On May 16, 8:18 am, "Matt Barrow"
wrote:

The fact is that U.S. refining capacity has been growing at about 1% a
year
for the past decade - the equivalent of adding a mid-size refinery every
year. Since 1996, U.S. refiners have expanded capacity by more than 2
million barrels a day This is a remarkable achievement in the face of
environmental mandates setting new ethanol usage and low-sulfur
requirements.

But the last major refinery built in the U.S. was in Garyville, La., in
1976
and the ones we have are getting older, no matter how well they're
maintained.

I dont know about the rest of the country but I do know about
Louisiana. Right now you cannot go to a refinery complex on the
Southern Louisiana area and not see them doing MASSIVE expansion,
doubling sometimes tripling the refinery complex. From Norco/Avondale/
St. Rose near MSY (just south of it) up the river to L38 (Gonzalez)
where Sorento/Giesimer/Fina etc all the way to Baton Rouge (Port
Allen) the bulldozers and welders are working as we speak.

Doing what?

You say "expansion", but what are they expanding?

Capacity.

Now, if you'd read back to the original article, you'd find some interesting
data that you happened to snip.

Nothing in the original article was valid. Why bother re-reading it.

You mention Garyville. That is the Marathon Garyville refinery near
REserve airport. In the last year it has doubled its size and now is
set for at least a doubling of that size. They are 'as we speak"
clearing the old sugar cane fields for new "smokestacks". The
Chocktow is also expanding.

"Expanding" what? Capacity? How much capacity expansion? (Original vs new).

Typically when any one refinery has been expanded, they go for enough
added capacity to provide whatever increase is needed plus enough to
shutdown at least one other refinery. That is why for decades now there
have been no "new" refineries built, but there has been a steady increase
in capacity and a dramatic decrease in the number of refineries.

the "we have not built a new refinery since XXXX" sounds good but is
misleading.

Only if we can keep updating 1970's technology.

An absurd statement. Why would anyone want to do that, and since
when is anyone trying to do that. 1970's technology is what they
are eliminating as fast as they can.

There's no shortage of capacity (according to our resident "experts"), so
what are we worried about. If the price goes to $4.00 for Mogas and $5.50
for avgas, it's just the oil companies ripping us off.

Given that they can expand refinery capacity at will, what else would you
want to call it?

--
Floyd L. Davidson http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska)