Fluor has been awarded the front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract for a new oil refinery to be built in Brownsville, Texas — the first new refinery constructed in the United States in roughly 50 years. The facility, to be built on more than 240 acres within the Port of Brownsville, will process 100% domestic shale oil, it is reported.
Fluor announced that it has been selected by America First Refining (AFR) to execute FEED (Front-End Engineering and Design) for the large-scale refining facility in Brownsville. It is reported to be the first new refinery built in the United States in more than 50 years. According to the Port of Brownsville, the refinery will process 100% domestic shale oil using hydrogen-powered advanced systems to produce ultra-low-carbon fuels. The original reporting states only that the facility will “leverage commercially proven process technologies,” without disclosing the specific process technology licensor.
The project was first announced by U.S. President Donald Trump via social media in March, and Port of Brownsville authorities said they had been working to attract the project for more than 10 years. The Port of Brownsville is reported to have played a favorable role in securing the project owing to its deepwater channel access, direct dock and rail connectivity, and foreign trade zone (FTZ) status.
America First Refining is reported to be currently working with federal, state and local agencies to secure the necessary environmental permits. The Port of Brownsville has previously supported the environmental permitting of two LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) projects, and that experience is expected to be applied to this refinery’s permitting process as well. The timeline for permit completion and the start of construction are seen as key points to watch.