Harvey Update: Getting Our Facilities Back Online
Mary Schaper
Posted September 5, 2017
The energy-rich Gulf region impacted by Hurricane Harvey faces a long road to recovery. With thousands displaced from their homes and many Houston neighborhoods still underwater, a tremendous humanitarian effort is underway.
As the waters recede, the energy industry is inspecting and assessing its facilities. As of Monday eight refineries that had been shut down to help ensure safety had begun the complex process of restarting. Those eight have a combined refining capacity equal to 18.3 percent of total Gulf Coast capacity or 9.6 percent of total U.S. capacity. Affected pipelines, including the Colonial Pipeline, also are being restored. Colonial continues to ship as much gasoline and other refined products as available from Louisiana-based refineries and other refineries on the Colonial system east of Lake Charles, La., and will continue doing so as markets return to normal.
The industry’s goal, as always, is to keep the marketplace well-supplied while ensuring the highest level of safety. Here’s some of the latest news as our energy infrastructure gets back online:
We are working to get fuel to our stations, prioritizing emergency crews with around-the-clock efforts to get supply network back to normal. pic.twitter.com/PKTJUIdUCT
— Phillips 66 (@Phillips66Co) September 1, 2017
First trucks start loading at our reopened Houston terminal.
Posted by ExxonMobil on Friday, September 1, 2017
Texas refineries begin restart after hit from #Harvey https://t.co/mfMlo8Ui7d #refining #gasoline #houwx #houston #texas #oott #oil
— Ernest Scheyder (@ErnestScheyder) September 2, 2017
Shell's latest update on Gulf of Mexico operations following #Harvey has been posted. https://t.co/I68eyhRPGg
— Shell US Storm Ctr (@Shell_StormCtr) September 5, 2017
Loading tankers with fuel now at our reopened terminal in Pasadena, TX east of Houston. #backtowork #HoustonStrong
Posted by Phillips 66 on Saturday, September 2, 2017
The first crude shipment arrives at our Baytown Refinery. We are making good progress on our restart plan. pic.twitter.com/u59wgDBfBT
— ExxonMobil Baytown (@ExxonMobilBTA) September 4, 2017
Colonial Pipeline's Line 2 restarted between Houston and Lake Charles today (9/4) at 3 p.m. EST https://t.co/QwarPxASo1
— Colonial Pipeline (@Colpipe) September 5, 2017
Colonial Pipeline resumes pumping of #diesel and #jetfuel shipments on its Line 2 from Houston https://t.co/j9x9SsP1DX #Harvey pic.twitter.com/MoyBUDBkXf
— Platts Oil (@PlattsOil) September 5, 2017
Colonial Pipeline restores service to one line, says another will be operational soon https://t.co/BdwIEtTYd6
— FOX Carolina News (@foxcarolinanews) September 5, 2017
About The Author
Mary Schaper is a Digital Communications Manager for the American Petroleum Institute. She previously worked on Capitol Hill for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee as Digital Director and for Senator Lisa Murkowski. Before coming to D.C., she spearheaded digital strategy for Murkowski's successful Senate write-in campaign in 2010. Schaper enjoys traveling and taking in the local culture alongside her husband, their son and loyal springer spaniel.