The extremely cold weather that hit the Midwest resulting in minus-zero degree readings throughout several states down into Texas also caused a shutdown of the largest oil refinery in the U.S.
Motiva Enterprises LLC stopped operations of its refinery at Port Arthur, Texas because of disruptions of fuel supplies, power and water across the state, including a million barrel a day reduction in oil production in the Permian Basin.
It’s not just any refinery shutting down. The Motiva operation has a 630,000 barrel a day capacity, the largest of any refinery in the country.
It also manufactures 275,000 barrels of branded fuel every day, including conventional gasoline, commercial aviation fuel, Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel, Export Diesel and Texas Low Emissions Diesel used in commercial sales, the trucking industry and in heavy-duty machinery.
Marathon Petroleum Corp. also closed its refinery near Galveston Bay south of Houston, thanks to the Arctic temperatures. It has a refining capacity of 585,000 barrels a day.