Idling of Total’s 153,000 bpd Provence (La Mède), France, refinery began on November 18 with the shutdown of a sulfur recovery unit (SRU), according to real-time Genscape refinery alerts. Total is ceasing crude oil operations at their Provence refinery in order to convert the facility to a biorefinery, according to a 2015 company announcement.
Shutdown activities at the refinery will last until January 2017, according to a Total spokesperson. All crude distillation was halted by December 4 with the shutdown of the 153,000 bpd crude distillation unit. The 52,000 bpd vacuum distillation unit was shut on November 28, quickly followed by the 37,000 bpd diesel hydrotreater. Light product refining operations ceased on December 7 with the 36,000 bpd fluid catalytic cracker shutdown, preceded by the closure of the 29,000 bpd catalytic reformer on December 6. Several refinery infrastructure units remained active as of December 19, according to Genscape monitors.
Since monitoring began in late 2013, Genscape real-time alerting has provided an unprecedented view into the utilization impact caused by multiple labor union strikes (December 2013, June 2015, and June 2016) at the Provence refinery. The first two labor strikes caused major disruptions in production output, as seen in the refinery’s utilization graph (Figure 3), while the 2016 strike caused no observed shutdowns, according to Genscape. However, the refinery briefly operated at reduced rates in 2016 due to shipment blockades, as reported by local media.
The Provence refinery was constructed in 1935 by Compagnie Française de Raffinage, forefather of Total, near Chateauneuf-les-Martigues, France, and connected to the Lavéra maritime complex via six pipelines, allowing for the exchange of crude and products. Expansion and investments in the refinery over the decades increased its initial crude refining capacity from 8,000 bpd to 153,000 bpd prior to the shutdown.
After 83 years, this refinery will undergo one of the most significant changes in its history. This transformation will be Total’s first biorefinery in Europe, a niche in the energy sector that has already grown tremendously in the last couple of decades. France already has a dozen biorefineries, including Europe’s largest biorefinery, the Roquette facility in Lestrem, France. Due to the growing European demand for biofuels, the transformation of Provence was a logical step for Total and the continuously changing distribution of Europe’s energy diversity.
Refinery outages can send fast moving ripples through crude and refined product markets. These events evolve quickly and time is of the essence when acting on disruptions and closures. Genscape's real-time alerts provide early notice of upsets and confirmation of planned maintenance at key European and North American refineries.
Genscape is expanding refinery coverage across several regions in Western Europe and will soon have monitors on all French refineries with the upcoming addition of Exxon's 143,000 bpd Fos Sur Mer facility (currently monitoring 90 percent in France). Monitoring coverage also continues to expand in North America, where Genscape monitors 81 percent of the nearly 18 million bpd of refining capacity in the U.S.
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