ExxonMobil plans to increase production of ultra-low sulfur fuels at its Beaumont refinery by approximately 40,000 barrels per day. Construction scheduled during the second half of 2016 includes the installation of a selective cat naphtha hydrofining unit. The system uses a proprietary catalyst system to remove sulfur while minimizing octane loss. Startup of the flexible technology, known as SCANfining, is expected in 2018. Gasoline produced using this technology will meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 3 gasoline sulfur specifications.

Installation of the selective cat naphtha hydrofining unit is the facility’s second expansion project in a year, following the announcement of the Texas refinery’s capacity expansion in 2015. ExxonMobil’s Beaumont refinery is part of the company’s integrated operations in Beaumont, Texas, which includes a 345,000 barrel-per-day capacity refinery as well as chemical, lubricants and polyethylene plants.