Corpus Christi (KIII News) — Flint Hills Resources announced plans Tuesday to expand its Ingleside terminal complex.
The plan would dramatically increase the current storage and loading capacity. Once complete, the company will be able to export some 380,000 barrels of oil every day.
Flint Hills officials said with all the pipeline projects in the works, they are getting their storage terminal ready for all the crude oil that is coming our way. The oil and gas industry is booming, especially in the Permian Basin, and they plan on building connections to the crude pipelines there.
Officials said it is important to follow suit like other companies and do their best to prepare for it.
Currently, their Ingleside terminal has two docks and is in talks to build a third. The current project will include four new crude storage tanks with a total loading capability of 60,000 barrels per hour. When the project is complete, the Ingleside terminal will have a total crude storage capacity of 3.5-4 million barrels.
The expansion will make bringing everything in and out of the terminal easier and faster.
"We have a tremendous location advantage here in the Corpus area, we being so close to the oil fields, and so it's a tremendous advantage to be able to bring the product down here to the Corpus area and then we can do with it whatever it is that they want us to do," said Andy Saenz, Flint Hills public affairs manager.
Flint Hills is also looking at a separate project that would allow it to load VLCC, or very large crude carrier size vessels, in the future.
Right now Flint Hills is waiting on approval from the Texas Commision on Environmental Quality. The company had to file an amendment to their air permit that has been under review since April. As soon as they get that permit approved than they can begin plans for construction.
Flint Hills plans to have everything finished and ready to go by October of 2019.
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