22/12/25
P66, Kinder expand proposed western US fuel pipeline
P66, Kinder expand proposed western US fuel pipeline
Houston, 22 December (Argus) — Independent refiner Phillips 66 and midstream
giant Kinder Morgan are expanding a plan for a proposed refined products
pipeline system from the midcontinent to western US markets. An initial open
season for the project, which closed on 19 December, resulted in significant
interest, including shipper commitments for the proposed Western Gateway
pipeline, the companies said Monday. As a result, a second open season will
launch in January for remaining capacity and will include new destinations west
of Colton, California, through a joint tariff with Kinder Morgan's existing SFPP
pipeline that will be reversed between Watson, California, and Colton, allowing
access to Los Angeles markets. The companies did not disclose the length of the
second open season. The Western Gateway project, announced in October, includes
a new 200,000 b/d pipeline from Borger, Texas, to Phoenix, Arizona, combined
with the reversal of SFPP from Colton, California, to Phoenix, Arizona. Philips
66 owns and operates a 149,000 b/d refinery in Borger. In addition, the Phillips
66-operated Gold pipeline, which currently flows from Borger to St Louis,
Missouri, would be reversed to allow refined products from midcontinent
refineries to flow south to Borger and supply the Western Gateway system. The
companies expect the Western Gateway project to be completed in 2029. The
proposed pipeline system comes as two large California refineries are planning
to close, including Phillips 66's 139,000 b/d Los Angeles refining complex.
Phillips 66 stopped processing crude at the Los Angeles facility in mid-October
as part of a planned shutdown announced about a year earlier. It expects to idle
remaining units by the end of this month. In addition, Valero is planning to
shut down or repurpose its 145,000 b/d refinery in Benicia, California, by April
2026. The planned closures have triggered major concerns about California's
tight and often volatile oil products market and the impact on neighboring
states . Another large US midstream company, Oneok, is considering building a
200,000 b/d pipeline — the Sun Belt Connector — to carry gasoline, diesel and
jet fuel from El Paso, Texas, to Phoenix, Arizona. In addition, US independent
refiner HF Sinclair is considering several pipeline expansions that would move
more refined products from the Rocky Mountains region to markets further west.
By Eunice Bridges Send comments and request more information at
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