Frequently Asked Questions

When was the last refinery built in the United States?

There were a total of 141 operable petroleum refineries in the United States as of January 1, 2016.

Two new refineries began operating in 2015. Petromax Refining Co began operating a 25,000 b/cd refinery in Houston in the second quarter. Buckeye Partners LP began operating a 46,250 b/cd condensate processing facility in Corpus Christi in the fourth quarter.

However, the newest refinery with significant downstream unit capacity began operating in 1977 in Garyville, Louisiana. That facility came online in 1977 with an initial atmospheric distillation unit capacity of 200,000 b/cd and as of January 1, 2016 had capacity of 539,000 b/cd.

Capacity has also been added to existing refineries through upgrades or new construction. Some recent examples of large increases include:

In 2012, Motiva upgraded its refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, making it the largest refinery in the U.S. with a capacity of 603,000 b/cd as of January 1, 2016.
In 2009, Marathon upgraded its Garyville, Louisiana refinery. As of January 1, 2016, the capacity is more than double its original 1977 capacity.

The newest refineries currently operating in the United States:

Year Built	First Operated	Location	Original Owner	Original Capacity b/cd	Current Owner	2016 Capacity b/cd
2015	2015	Corpus Christi, TX	Buckeye Partners	46,250	Buckeye Partners	46,250
2015	2015	Houston, TX	Petromax Refining	25,000	Petromax Refining	25,000
2014	2015	Dickinson, ND	Dakota Prairie Refining	19,000	Dakota Praire Refining	19,500
2014	2015	Galena Park, TX	Kinder Morgan	42,000	Kinder Morgan	84,000
2008	2008	Douglas, WY	Interline Resources	3,000	Antelope Refining	3,800
1998	1998	Atmore, AL	Goodway	4,100	Goodway	4,100
1993	1993	Valdez, AK	Petro Star	26,300	Petro Star	55,000
1991	1992	Ely, NV	Petro Source	7,000	Foreland	2,000
1986	1987	North Pole, AK	Petro Star	6,700	Petro Star	19,700
1985	1986	Prudhoe Bay, AK	ARCO	12,000	ConocoPhillips	15,000
1979	1980	Wilmington, CA	Huntway	5,400	Valero	6,300
1978	1979	Vicksburg, MS	Ergon	10,000	Ergon	23,000
1978	1979	North Slope, AK	ARCO	13,000	BP Exploration, AK	10,500
1977	1978	Lake Charles, LA	Calcasieu	6,500	Calcasieu	89,000
1976	1977	Garyville, LA	Marathon	200,000	Marathon	539,000
1976	1977	Krotz Springs, LA	Gold King	5,000	Alon	80,000
1975	1975	Corpus Christi, TX	Saber	15,000	Valero	293,000