Valero Port Arthur Refinery Sees Major Emissions Post-Fire


   
Maria Eugenia Garcia
DTN Refined Fuels Market Reporter

   HOUSTON, TX (DTN) -- Valero's 435,000 bpd Port Arthur, Texas refinery 
released thousands of pounds of air pollutants over a 36-hour period after an 
unexpected release of process fluid in the facility's Complex 2 triggered a 
fire and cascading upsets across multiple process units, according to an 
initial report filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

   The event began at approximately 6:25 pm on Monday (3/23) and concluded 
around 6:25 a.m.  on Wednesday (3/25), but the initial emissions report was 
filed on Tuesday (3/24).

   On Monday, the fire and a consequent explosion prompted local authorities to 
issue a precautionary shelter-in-place order for nearby and implement a partial 
road closure while emergency teams worked to contain the blaze and assess air 
quality in the surrounding area.

   Air monitoring conducted jointly by Valero, the Port Arthur Fire Department, 
and the TCEQ found no concerns, and both the shelter-in-place order and road 
closure were lifted.

   However, affected units spanned Complexes 1 through 6 and included the Fluid 
Catalytic Cracker, Delayed Coking Unit, Hydrocracking Unit, multiple Sulfur 
Recovery Units, and several hydrotreaters, among others.

   Reported emissions significantly exceeded permitted limits at several 
discharge points. The most notable exceedances included an estimated 15,644 
pounds of particulate matter -- more than 129 times the authorized limit -- and 
6,111 pounds of carbon monoxide from the DHT-243 fugitive emission point alone.

   Across nine active flares, the Port Arthur refinery released a combined 
estimated 19,655 pounds of sulfur dioxide, 226 pounds of hydrogen sulfide, and 
751 pounds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), each far exceeding their 
respective hourly permit subcaps.

   The refinery operator noted that while the event is substantially concluded, 
small amounts of intermittent emissions are continuing, and reported totals 
have been adjusted to reflect estimated future releases.

   Quantities were determined using continuous emissions monitoring systems 
(CEMS), process analyzers, flow meters and engineering estimates.

   The Port Arthur refinery processes heavy sour crudes and other products to 
produce gasoline, diesel, jet fuels and petrochemicals.




(c) Copyright 2026 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.