By OGJ editors  07/21/2014

Tesoro Corp. is planning a petrochemical feedstock project that will utilize production from its US West Coast refining operations to enhance xylene recovery at its 120,000-b/d Anacortes, Wash., refinery about 70 miles north of Seattle.

The $400 million project, which will involve gathering intermediate feedstock, primarily reformate, from its West Coast refining system, is designed to enable the Anacortes plant to recover up to 15,000 b/d of mixed xylene, the US independent refiner said in a July 21 release.

The mixed xylene mostly will be exported to destinations in Asia-Pacific, where regional demand is a primary driver in the global xylene market’s annual growth rate of about 5% to 7%, Tesoro said.

Pending permitting and approval, Tesoro said it expects the project to be commissioned in 2017.

A final investment decision on the project is due by yearend, the company said.

In addition to the Anacortes refinery, Tesoro’s US West Coast refining system also includes the 166,000-b/d Golden Eagle refinery at Martinez, Calif., a 363,000-b/d refinery at Los Angeles, Calif., and a 72,000-b/d refinery at Kenai, Alas.