Shell Deer Park, Texas, refinery plans to idle SRU in 2021
Royal Dutch Shell Plc plans to idle a sulfur recovery unit (SRU) at the joint-venture Deer Park, Texas, refinery in 2021, said Shell spokesman Curtis Smith.
Currently, the refinery is operating at about 75% of its 318,000 barrel-per-day capacity because of reduced demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said sources familiar with plant operations.
Smith said the decision to idle the SRU, one of six at the refinery, came after a review of operations at the refinery.
“We continually assess all aspects of our business to ensure we remain competitive in an ever-tightening market,” Smith said. “As part of that process, we have made the decision to shut down one of Deer Park’s sulfur recovery units next year.”
SRU extracts sulfur from hydrogen sulfide removed during the production of motor fuels.
The Deer Park refinery is a 50-50 joint-venture between Shell and Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), Mexico’s national oil company. Shell is the managing partner.
Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Chris Reese & Shri Navaratnam
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