CITGO is putting $310 million into its Lake Charles refinery to upgrade how it handles naphtha, with construction and startup running through 2029.
The project is called the Depentanizer. New equipment will let the refinery take lower-value naphtha and turn it into components that go straight into gasoline blends, essentially getting more finished fuel out of the same crude run.
Who's Getting the Call
CITGO says the project adds contract work on top of what the existing refinery workforce is already doing. Local suppliers and service providers will see opportunities too, as engineering, construction, and commissioning move forward.
A few numbers worth knowing:
$310 million total project cost
2029 target for the unit to be operational
1944 the year Lake Charles opened, originally built to supply aviation fuel during World War II
Approximately 829,000 bpd CITGO's combined crude capacity across its three refineries, ranking it fifth largest among U.S. independent refiners
Lake Charles sits on the Calcasieu Ship Channel, giving it access to a range of crude sources and multiple ways to move product out by pipeline and marine transport. The Depentanizer will boost the refinery's ability to process domestic light crude and turn it into more gasoline blend components.
CITGO Chief Operating Officer Edgar Rincon tied the project to keeping the company's refining system competitive long term. Lake Charles VP and General Manager Sterling Neblett called it a vote of confidence in the plant's future, and in the people and businesses connected to it.
Three years of engineering and construction ahead, at a refinery that's been running since 1944 and isn't slowing down now.
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