Every operating unit, shop and building in the facility has a cold weather prep procedure that is executed when temps get low. The length of freezing weather and the extreme low temps took things beyond what they were designed to handle.
A cold startup process is complicated - You don’t just flip a switch and poof it’s running again. This is a big deal. Even in hurricane shutdowns, the power plants in a gulf coast refinery or chemical plant are kept online at a low rate to keep a maintenance level of steam and electricity going to the operating units. This is why these facilities are typically back in substantially full production 8 to 12 hours after the all clear is issued.
In addition, since they are shut down anyway, the refineries may be undertaking some planned maintenance that otherwise would be scheduled later. A less likely factor perhaps in play could be the change over from winter to summer fuel formulations although it seems too early for this.
My opinions...
Thanks for your insight.
Gasoline prices in the region mostly supplied by Texas refineries have not shot past most of the rest of the US, so, I’m guessing low demand is modifying the shock?
https://www.gasbuddy.com/gaspricemap?
“I have worked at several of the refineries mentioned in the report”
Me too. I’m a contractor.
I did service work in the Chevron plant in Pascagoula, MS. One the cold weather hazards was alligators that would crawl up in the units to stay warm.