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Navajo Refinery
The Navajo Refinery has a crude oil capacity of 100,000 BPSD and has the ability to process heavy,sour and light crude oils into high value light products such as gasoline, diesel fuel and jet fuel. The Navajo Refinery converts approximately 92% of its raw materials throughput into high value light products. For 2009, gasoline, diesel fuel and jet fuel (excluding volumes purchased for resale) represented 58%, 32% and 2%, respectively, of the Navajo Refinery's sales volumes.
The Navajo Refinery's Artesia, New Mexico facility is located on a 561-acre site and is a fully integrated refinery with crude distillation, vacuum distillation, FCC, ROSE (solvent deasphalter), HF alkylation, catalytic reforming, hydrodesulfurization, isomerization, sulfur recovery and product blending units. Other supporting infrastructure includes approximately 2 million barrels of feedstock and product tankage at the site of which 0.2 million barrels of tankage are owned by HEP, maintenance shops, warehouses and office buildings. The operating units at the Artesia facility include newly constructed units, older units that have been relocated from other facilities and upgraded and re-erected in Artesia, and units that have been operating as part of the Artesia facility (with periodic major maintenance) for many years, in some very limited cases since before 1970. The Artesia facility is operated in conjunction with a refining facility located in Lovington, New Mexico, approximately 65 miles east of Artesia. The principal equipment at the Lovington facility consists of a crude distillation unit and associated vacuum distillation units that were constructed after 1970. The facility also has an additional 1.1 million barrels of feedstock and product tankage of which 0.2 million barrels of tankage are owned by HEP. The Lovington facility processes crude oil into intermediate products that are transported to Artesia by means of three intermediate pipelines owned by HEP. These products are then upgraded into finished products at the Artesia facility. The combined crude oil capacity of the Navajo Refinery facilities is 100,000 BPSD and it typically processes or blends an additional 10,000 BPSD of natural gasoline, butane, gas oil and naphtha. The Navajo Refinery completed a major maintenance turnaround in February 2009.
We distribute refined products from the Navajo Refinery to markets in Arizona, New Mexico, west Texas and northern Mexico primarily through two of HEP's pipelines that extend from Artesia, New Mexico to El Paso, Texas and from El Paso to Albuquerque and to Mexico via products pipeline systems owned by Plains and from El Paso to Tucson and Phoenix via a products pipeline system owned by Kinder Morgan's subsidiary, SFPP, L.P. ("SFPP"). In addition, we use pipelines owned and leased by HEP to transport petroleum products to markets in central and northwest New Mexico. We have refined product storage through our pipelines and terminals agreement with HEP at terminals in El Paso, Texas; Tucson, Arizona; and Artesia, Moriarty and Bloomfield, New Mexico.
Holly Asphalt Company
We manufacture and market commodity and modified asphalt products in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and northern Mexico under Holly Asphalt. We have four manufacturing facilities located in Glendale, Arizona, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Artesia, New Mexico and Lubbock, Texas. Our Albuquerque, Artesia and Lubbock facilities manufacture modified hot asphalt products and commodity emulsions from base asphalt materials provided by our Navajo Refinery and third-party suppliers. Our Lubbock facility is leased under a lease agreement expiring in 2011. Our Glendale facility manufactures modified hot asphalt products from base asphalt materials provided by our Navajo and Woods Cross Refineries and third-party suppliers. Our products are shipped via third-party trucking companies to commercial customers that provide asphalt based materials for commercial and government projects.
Markets and Competition
The Navajo Refinery primarily serves the southwestern United States market, which has historically experienced a high growth rate, including El Paso, Texas; Albuquerque, Moriarty and Bloomfield, New Mexico; Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; and the northern Mexico market. Our products are shipped through HEP's pipelines from Artesia, New Mexico to El Paso, Texas and from El Paso to Albuquerque and to Mexico via products pipeline systems owned by Plains and from El Paso to Tucson and Phoenix via a products pipeline system owned by SFPP. In addition, the Navajo Refinery transports petroleum products to markets in northwest New Mexico and to Moriarty, New Mexico, near Albuquerque, via HEP's pipelines running from Artesia to San Juan County, New Mexico.
El Paso Market
The El Paso market for refined products is currently supplied by a number of area and gulf coast refiners and pipelines. Area refiners include Navajo, WRB Refining, LLC ("WRB") (a joint venture between ConocoPhillips and EnCana Corp.), Valero, Alon, and Western Refining. Pipelines serving this market are owned by Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. ("Magellan"), NuStar Energy L.P. and HEP. Refined products from the Gulf Coast are transported via Magellan pipelines, including Magellan's Longhorn Pipeline acquired in 2009. We supply approximately 17% - 20% of the refined products consumed in the El Paso market.
Arizona Market
The Arizona market for refined products is currently supplied by a number of refiners via pipelines and trucks. Refiners include companies located in west Texas, eastern New Mexico, northern New Mexico, the Gulf Coast and the West Coast. We supply approximately 17% - 20% of the refined products consumed in the Arizona market, comprised primarily of Phoenix and Tucson, via the SFPP Pipeline.
New Mexico Markets
The Artesia, Albuquerque, Moriarty and Bloomfield markets are supplied by a number of refiners via pipelines and trucks. Refiners include Navajo, Valero, Western Refining, Alon and WRB. We supply approximately 18% - 20% of the refined products consumed in the New Mexico market.
The common carrier pipeline we use to serve the Albuquerque market out of El Paso currently operates at near capacity. In addition, HEP leases from Mid-America Pipeline Company, L.L.C., a pipeline between White Lakes, New Mexico and the Albuquerque vicinity and Bloomfield, New Mexico. The lease agreement currently runs through 2017, and HEP has options to renew for two ten-year periods. HEP owns and operates a 12-inch pipeline from the Navajo Refinery to the leased pipeline as well as terminalling facilities in Bloomfield, New Mexico, which is located in the northwest corner of New Mexico, and in Moriarty, which is 40 miles east of Albuquerque. These facilities permit us to ship light products to the Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico areas, which have historically experienced high growth rates. If needed, additional pump stations could further increase the pipeline's capabilities.
Magellan's Longhorn Pipeline is a 72,000 BPD common carrier pipeline that has the ability to deliver refined products utilizing a direct route from the Texas Gulf Coast to El Paso and, through interconnections with third-party common carrier pipelines, into the Arizona market.
An additional factor that could affect some of our markets is the presence of pipeline capacity from El Paso and the West Coast into our Arizona markets. Additional increases in shipments of refined products from El Paso and the West Coast into our Arizona markets could result in additional downward pressure on refined product prices in these markets.
Crude Oil and Feedstock Supplies
The Navajo Refinery is situated near the Permian Basin in an area that historically has had abundant supplies of crude oil available both for regional users, such as us, and for export to other areas. We purchase crude oil from producers in nearby southeastern New Mexico and west Texas and from major oil companies. Additionally, crude oil is gathered through HEP's pipelines, our tank trucks and through third-party crude oil pipeline systems. Crude oil acquired in locations distant from the refinery is exchanged for crude oil that is transportable to the refinery.
Additionally, the Navajo Refinery has access to a wide variety of crude oils available at Cushing, Oklahoma via HEP's Roadrunner Pipeline that connects to Centurion Pipeline L.P.'s pipeline running from west Texas to Cushing Oklahoma. Cushing Oklahoma is a significant crude oil pipeline crossroad and storage hub that has access to regional crude production as well as many United States onshore, Gulf of Mexico, Canadian and other foreign crudes.
We also purchase volumes of isobutane, natural gasoline and other feedstocks to supply the Navajo Refinery from sources in southeastern New Mexico and the Mid-Continent area that are delivered to our region on a common carrier pipeline owned by Enterprise Products, L.P. Ultimately all volumes of these products are shipped to the Artesia refining facilities on HEP's intermediate pipelines running from Lovington to Artesia. From time to time, we also purchase gas oil, naphtha and light cycle oil from other oil companies for use as feedstock.
Principal Products and Customers
Our principal customers for gasoline include other refiners, convenience store chains, independent marketers, and retailers. Our gasoline produced at the Navajo Refinery is marketed in the southwestern United States, including the metropolitan areas of El Paso, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Bloomfield, and Tucson, and in portions of northern Mexico. The composition of gasoline differs, because of local regulatory requirements, depending on the area in which gasoline is to be sold. Diesel fuel is sold to other refiners, truck stop chains, wholesalers, and railroads. Jet fuel is sold for military and commercial airline use. All asphalt produced and purchased from third-parties is blended to fuel oil and is either sold locally, or is shipped by rail to the Gulf Coast, shipped by rail directly to our customers or marketed through Holly Asphalt to governmental entities, contractors or manufacturers. LPG's are sold to LPG wholesalers and LPG retailers and carbon black oil is sold for further processing.
Capital Improvement Projects
Our total approved capital budget for the Navajo Refinery for 2010 is $16.7 million. Additionally, capital costs of $11.5 million have been approved for refinery turnarounds and tank work. We expect to spend approximately $58.5 million in capital costs in 2010, including capital projects approved in prior years. The following summarizes our key capital projects.
Phase I of our Navajo Refinery major capital projects was mechanically completed in March 2009 increasing refinery capacity to 100,000 BPSD effective April 1, 2009. Phase I required the installation of a new 15,000 BPSD mild hydrocracker, 28 MMSCFSD hydrogen plant and the expansion of our Lovington crude and vacuum units at a cost of approximately $190 million.
We have now completed phase II of the major capital projects at the Navajo Refinery. These improvements will provide the capability to process up to 40,000 BPSD of heavy type crudes. Phase II involves the installation of a new 18,000 BPSD solvent deasphalter and the revamp of our Artesia crude and vacuum units. The solvent deasphalter unit was complete in the fourth quarter of 2009 and is in operation. The crude / vacuum unit revamp was completed in the first quarter of 2010. We expect the phase II project to cost approximately $100 million.
We are also proceeding with a project to add asphalt tankage at the Navajo Refinery and at the Holly Asphalt facility in Artesia, New Mexico to enhance asphalt economics by storing asphalt during the winter months when asphalt prices are generally lower. These asphalt tank additions and an approved upgrade of our rail loading facilities at the Artesia refinery are estimated to cost $21 million and are expected to be completed about the same time as the phase II projects.
With the completion of the Navajo projects discussed above, the Navajo Refinery can process up to 40% of lower cost heavy crude oil. The projects will also increase the yield of diesel, supply Holly Asphalt with all its performance grade asphalt requirements, increase refinery liquid volume yield, increase the refinery's capacity to process outside feedstocks and enable the refinery to meet new LSG specifications required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA").
The Navajo Refinery currently plans to comply with new Control of Hazardous Air Pollutants from Mobile Sources ("MSAT2") regulations issued by the EPA by the fractionation of raw naphtha with existing equipment to achieve benzene in gasoline levels below 1.3%. The Navajo Refinery will purchase credits from the Woods Cross and Tulsa Refineries in order reduce benzene down to the required 0.62%. Due to our acquisition of the Tulsa Refinery facilities from Sunoco and Sinclair, our Navajo Refinery has until the end of 2012 to comply with the MSAT2 regulation because we have lost our small refiner's exemption and as a large refiner we have 30 months to comply.
Additionally, our total approved capital budget for Holly Asphalt for 2010 is $1.2 million.
Page last updated: 3/17/10
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