New PBF Energy East Coast rail facility ready for crude oil unit trains

Feb. 13, 2013
PBF Energy Inc has completed the second crude oil unloading facility at its subsidiary’s Delaware City Refinery. The construction of the 70,000 barrel per day (bpd) rail facility was announced in mid-2012 and was completed on schedule and on budget

PBF Energy Inc has completed the second crude oil unloading facility at its subsidiary’s Delaware City Refinery. The construction of the 70,000 barrel per day (bpd) rail facility was announced in mid-2012 and was completed on schedule and on budget.

Eighteen unit trains of Bakken crude oil were expected to arrive at the facility during its first two weeks in operation. With the completion of this project, the Delaware City rail facilities are now capable of discharging 110,000 bpd of crude oil directly at the refinery--40,000 bpd of heavy crude oil and 70,000 bpd of light crude oil.

Tom Nimbley, PBF Energy’s chief executive officer, says: “The completion of this premier rail facility puts our East Coast refining system at a competitive advantage compared to its Atlantic Basin peers. PBF is now able to deliver significant quantities of cost-advantaged North American crude oils directly to Delaware City at very competitive pricing.”

PBF Energy also announced that it has increased its previous guidance on the quantity of Canadian heavy crude that it can process at its Delaware City refinery. Based on the success the company has had running the Canadian heavy crudes to date, PBF Energy plans to increase the discharge capacity of the heavy crude rail unloading facility to 80,000 bpd. Nimbley says the company believes Canadian heavy barrels will be the most economic barrels on the market and the company plan to take the necessary steps to maximize exposure to this advantaged crude.”

The new rail project should add an additional 40,000 bpd of heavy crude unloading capability to the existing 40,000 bpd rail facility. The project is anticipated to cost approximately $50 million and to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2013. The project is expected to be approved at the company’s February Board meeting.

PBF Energy further announced that it has entered into agreements for an additional 2,000 coiled and insulated rail cars capable of handling heavy crude oil and 500 general purpose cars. The 2,000 coiled and insulated cars are expected to be delivered beginning in 2014 through the first quarter of 2015 and the 500 general purpose cars will be delivered in 2013. This will bring PBF Energy’s total number of owned or leased coiled and insulated cars to 3,600 and allow the company to move the previously mentioned 80,000 bpd of Canadian heavy crude in its own rail cars.

Related