OGJ editors
HOUSTON, July 17 -- Coffeyville Resources LLC has restarted its fertilizer plant after record flooding on the Verdigris River caused both the Coffeyville, Kan., nitrogen fertilizer plant and a nearby refinery to be shut down and evacuated in early July.
Both facilities are owned by subsidiaries of Coffeyville Resources. The fertilizer plant is on higher ground and sustained less damage than the refinery, which remains down pending repairs (OGJ, July 16, 2007, Newsletter).
Coffeyville Resources Refining & Marketing LLC said its 100,000 b/cd refinery is expected to resume operations by mid-September. Nearly 1,000 contract workers are helping repair and replace flood-damaged equipment.
Kevan A. Vick, executive vice-president and general manager for Coffeyville Resources Nitrogen Fertilizer, said bringing the fertilizer plant back on line involved replacing or repairing 30% of all electric drives and repairing 60% of the motor control centers.
The fertilizer plant delivers its products to customers primarily in Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Nebraska, and Iowa. The plant uses petroleum coke as the primary feedstock to produce nitrogen fertilizers. In 2006, it produced 369,300 short tons of ammonia of which 66% was upgraded to 633,100 short tons of urea ammonium nitrate.
