Local regulators have issued Meridian Energy Group Inc., Irvine, Calif., the first of two critical permits required for the company to move forward with development of its planned 55,000-b/sd Davis refinery in Billings County, ND, in the heart of southwestern North Dakota’s Bakken shale region (OGJ Online, Dec. 23, 2015).
The Billings County Board of County Commissioners (BCBCC) unanimously approved the zoning certificate and conditional-use permit for the proposed Davis refinery on July 6, Meridian said.
Approval of the zoning certificate and conditional-use permit confirms the site for two-phased grassroots refinery project, the first phase of which will include a 27,500-b/sd single crude unit as well as ancillary processing units (OGJ Online, Mar. 23, 2016).
This latest decision follows a public hearing and subsequent unanimous approval by the Billings County Planning and Zoning Board in late April for BCBCC to approve the project.
Meridian next will file an application with the air quality division of North Dakota’s health department for the refinery’s permit to construct, the company said.
Applications for permits to proceed with construction of Phase 2 to expand the refinery to its nameplate 55,000-b/sd capacity will follow startup of Phase 1 sometime in 2017.
Meridian said it expects the fully expanded Davis refinery to be commissioned during 2019.
Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].