At the beginning of 2021, 129 refineries were either operating or idle in the US (excluding US territories), down from 135 operable refineries listed at the beginning of 2020. The additional refinery closures in the 2021 ‘Refinery Capacity Report’ largely reflect the impact of responses to COVID-19 on the US refining sector.
In 2019, the 335 000 bpd Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) refinery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, experienced a major refinery incident. It has not resumed operation since the incident. EIA listed the facility as idle in the 2020 ‘Refinery Capacity Report’ because the decision to permanently close the facility was not final. As of 1 January 2021, EIA considered the refinery to be permanently closed, and it is not included in the 2021 report.
In 2020, the pandemic contributed to a substantial decrease in demand for motor fuels and refined petroleum products, which put downward pressure on refinery margins and made market conditions more challenging for refinery operators. In addition to challenging market conditions, increasing market interest in renewable diesel production and pre-existing plans to scale down or reconfigure petroleum refineries all contributed to the closing of a handful of refineries in 2020.
EIA removed the following refineries from total US operable capacity after they closed:
- The Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 335,000 bpd.
- The Shell refinery in Convent, Louisiana: 211,146 bpd.
- The Tesoro (Marathon) refinery in Martinez, California: 161,000 bpd.
- The HollyFrontier refinery in Cheyenne, Wyoming: 48 000 bpd.
- The Western Refining refinery in Gallup, New Mexico: 27 000 bpd.
- The Dakota Prairie refinery in Dickinson, North Dakota: 19 000 bpd.
