July 2009 Vol. 236 No. 7

Projects

PetroPlex Louisiana Liquid Bulk Storage Terminal Announced

PetroPlex International, LLC, has declared “shovel-ready” a plan to build a liquid bulk storage and blending facility in St. James Parish, Louisiana. The initial complement of storage tanks and the docking system is scheduled to be operational by Q1 of 2011.

The storage facility will be constructed in two stages, with Phase One accommodating 4 million barrels of liquid petroleum. Phase Two will add another 6 million barrels, constructed as industry demands dictate.

The project is located on the lower Mississippi River. The site offers 3,000 feet of river frontage with a 45-foot draft will enable large vessels and river barges access to the docking system with an offloading capacity of 50,000 BBL per hour.

The PetroPlex storage terminal will provide tankage for crude oils, residual fuel oils, middle and light distillates, along with specialty vegetable oils and lube oils. Large diameter pipelines and high volume pumps will be used to expedite the loading and discharging of cargoes. The PetroPlex facility will have capabilities for loading and discharging via truck rack, railcar (Union Pacific railroad), waterborne and pipeline connectivity to the capline system, ship shoal and Houma Pipelines.

PetroPlex selected the site in question after facilities further downriver experienced damage from Hurricane Katrina. The current site was selected to reduce the possibility of flooding while remaining centrally located to the refineries on the lower Mississippi River.

PetroPlex is negotiating storage contracts now for Phase One. www.petroplexinternational.com