Chevron USA, Inc. (CUSA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, has completed a retrofit of its refinery in Pasadena, Texas, which is expected to increase product flexibility and expand the processing capacity of lighter crudes by nearly 15% to 125,000 barrels per day.

Chevron acquired the Pasadena Refinery in 2019 with the strategic intent to expand its Gulf Coast refining system. This project is expected to allow the company to process more equity crude from the Permian Basin, supply more products to customers in the US Gulf Coast and realize synergies with the company’s Pascagoula refinery.

The Light Tight Oil (LTO) Project aims to enhance facility reliability and safety and will ultimately result in an increase in the supply of refined products domestically. The refinery will also begin producing jet fuel and exporting gas oil.

Planning for the LTO Project began in 2019 with work beginning in early 2020.

The phased start-up of the asset is expected to last through Q1 of 2025 as project team members work to confirm all plants are operating as planned and products are developed to specification.