Motiva, Exxon preparing East Texas refineries for storm, sources say

The U.S. National Hurricane Center forecasts the storm, currently called Tropical Depression 5, to become Tropical Storm Edouard before making landfall near Port Arthur on Tuesday.

Edouard is not expected to reach hurricane strength and is forecast to produce winds no more than 58 miles per hour (93 kph), according to the hurricane center.

Exxon on Monday afternoon activated its Incident Command System, the sources said.

Valero Energy Corp has not modified operations at its 235,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur refinery, sources at the refinery said.

The Motiva Port Arthur refinery is the nation's largest with a crude oil processing capacity of 656,400 bpd. Exxon's Beaumont refinery can intake 612,000 bpd while the Baytown refinery, on the east side of Houston, can process 564,000 bpd.

Motiva Enterprises and Exxon Mobil Corp are preparing their East Texas refineries for high winds and possible flooding as a developing tropical storm nears the U.S. Gulf Coast, people familiar with plant operations said on Monday.

Motiva and Exxon have not reduced production at their Port Arthur and Beaumont, Texas refineries, respectively, but they have secured loose items and equipment that can be blown by high winds or drift in flood waters should those be produced by the developing storm expected to make landfall on Tuesday, the sources said.

Exxon spokesperson Kelly Davila said on Monday the company was monitoring the storm and both its Beaumont and Baytown, Texas, refineries continued to operate normally.

A Motiva spokesperson did not reply to a request for comment.