Royal Dutch Shell Plc is contemplating the sale of its Convent refinery and associated infrastructure—including a salt cavern for LPG storage in Sorrento, marine docks, products truck terminal and line history rights for the Bengal Pipeline.
As Reuters reports, Shell VP of manufacturing Robin Mooldijk informed employees of the potential sale in an internal message last week. Shell spokesman Curtis Smith told Reuters the possible sale was part of the company’s plan announced in 2019 to structure its operations to match the future market for downstream products.
The refinery, which produces 211,146 barrels per day, is located on a 4,400-acre tract of land that straddles Ascension and St. James parishes. The processing equipment is located in St. James Parish and occupies approximately 900 acres. The refinery uses two docks along 6,000 feet of Mississippi River access. The refinery produces reformulated and conventional gasoline for domestic and expat markets, as well as aviation jet fuel, diesel and heating oil, propane, butane, tanker fuel and refinery grade sulfur.
Royal Dutch Shell took sole ownership of the refinery on May 1, 2017, when a separation of the joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell and Saudi Aramco was completed.
Shell has not indicated its plans for the 227,400 barrels-per-day Norco refinery, which produces motor fuels and also supplies feedstocks to the company’s adjoining chemical plant.
