Limetree Refining confirms startup plans

Limetree Refining will start up initial units "over the next couple of weeks" at its 200,000 b/d refinery in St Croix, US Virgin Islands (USVI), the company said today.

"Additional units" will begin startup in the following weeks in September. Limetree did not comment on planned run rates.

Limetree will operate refurbished portions of the former 525,000 b/d Hovensa refinery, a joint venture of Venezuelan national oil company PdV and US independent Hess that shut down in 2011 after years of losses.

ArcLight Capital agreed to attempt to restart the facility as part of its purchase of storage and marine infrastructure associated with the refinery for conversion into a terminal operation. Limetree planned to start up by the end of last year, in time to take advantage of new lower-sulfur marine fuel regulations that were expected to stoke diesel demand and support fuel supply from the island. But corrosion issues and then efforts to control the risk of Covid-19 among contractors at the facility slowed work this year.

Argus previously identified cargoes of naphtha — a feedstock for reformer units essential to the restart plan — headed from the US Gulf coast and scheduled to arrive in St Croix on 18 August.

By Elliott Blackburn