Placid Refining Company LLC is an independent, privately owned company located in
Port Allen, Louisiana, directly across the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge.
The Port Allen refinery is the company’s only manufacturing facility. All marketing
and other business transactions are conducted from headquarters/offices at the refinery.
The refinery produces transportation fuels which are distributed across the Southeastern
United States - from Louisiana to North Carolina. The refinery also produces military jet
fuel that is used in the United States’ defense efforts.
Independent refiners, such as Placid, play a critical role in the nation’s economy and
are an important source of transportation fuels for independent jobbers and retailers.
Since Placid purchased the refinery in 1975, millions of dollars have been invested in
modernization and expansion, as well as in purchase and installation of equipment to
protect the environment. Today, Placid’s Port Allen refinery is a modern plant,
operationally and environmentally.
Late in 2006 the company approved an expansion plan designed to increase the capacity of the refinery to 80,000 bpd
and increase its flexibility to process a somewhat more sour crude slate. The first phase of this plan is expected
to cost about $200 million and be complete in the 3 rd quarter of 2008. In this phase several critical units will be
de-bottlenecked and extensive environmental upgrades will be installed to allow the company to manufacture fuels
meeting the most stringent E.P.A. requirements and to further reduce the refinery's emissions of VOCs, NOX, and SOX.
Refinery is Strategically Located
Situated on an ample 100 Plus-acre tract between Louisiana Highway 1 and the Mississippi River -
about two miles from Interstate 10 - the refinery is strategically located for receiving crude oil
and distributing its products.
For out-of-town visitors, the refinery is about 20 minutes by car from the Baton Rouge
Metropolitan Airport and about 10 minutes from downtown Baton Rouge.
Product quality is a top priority at Placid Refining Company.
Quality control is an integral part of the extensive training undertaken by Placid
refinery employees and management. Quality control is maintained throughout the refining
process and correct product specification is confirmed in Placid’s state-of-the-art laboratory.
The Refinery’s emphasis on quality control is evidenced by Placid’s continued status as a major
supplier of military jet fuel to the U.S. government. Placid Refining is a past recipient of
the prestigious Independent Supplier of the Year Award presented by the Petroleum Marketers
Association of America. This award is based on quality of products in addition to excellence in customer service.
The Placid refinery processes 56,000 barrels per day of crude oil,
over 98 percent of its 57,000 BPD maximum capacity. Placid’s strict quality assurance program
ensures that all products conform to customer demands.
Placid refinery products include:
- Unleaded Gasoline - Regular, Mid-grade and Super
- Diesel Fuel
- Commercial Jet Fuel
- Military Jet Fuel
- Heavy Fuel Oil
- Liquefied Petroleum Gas
The crude oil used at the Placid Refinery is acquired from diverse locations,
domestic and foreign. Within the continental United States, Placid purchases crude oil from
North Dakota to Louisiana and from Alabama to South Texas. Cargoes of foreign crude oil from
Nigeria and the British North Sea have been processed at the Port Allen refinery.
Placid’s connection to two major crude oil pipeline systems allows the company to access a
steady and dependable supply of crude oil produced in South Louisiana, the Gulf of Mexico,
and other areas. Placid’s Marine Terminal is large enough to receive crude oil from any
tanker which can navigate the Mississippi River.
Placid operates an extensive marketing and distribution system - a system that
earned the company the prestigious Independent Supplier of the Year Award
from the Petroleum Marketers Association of America.
Distribution of products from the Port Allen refinery is accomplished
by several convenient means.
Pipeline:
Placid owns a direct pipeline link to Plantation Pipeline, a major supply
artery of gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and No. 2 heating oil throughout the
Southeastern United States. Placid ships its gasoline and diesel to some
of its wholesale product terminals in the southeastern region via pipeline.
Marine Terminal:
Placid owns a modern and efficient marine terminal on the Mississippi River.
The terminal handles barges and tankers of up to 65,000 DWT. Placid can safely
berth a tanker while simultaneously loading or discharging up to six barges
with any desired combination of products.
Due to the refinery's marine terminal and strategic location, buyers of bulk quantities
of product can realize substantial benefits and savings on shipments on the Mississippi
River; savings that cannot be matched at many other Gulf Coast refineries.
Wholesale Truck Terminals:
Wholesale truck terminals located in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia,
South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia serve as major distribution points for
Placid products. The terminals handle all grades of unleaded gasoline and diesel fuel.
The Port Allen refinery has a computer-controlled, state-of-the-art truck terminal
featuring electronic loading meters.
Meeting the Environmental Challenge
Over the years, environmental regulations have brought many changes to the refining
and refined products marketing industries. Placid Refining Company LLC has
successfully met those challenges, including ultra low sulfur diesel fuel for
on-road use, as well as reduced vapor pressure requirements for
summertime gasoline blends.
Over the last 20 years Placid Refining Company has continuously invested in environmental changes
to produce more environmentally friendly gasoline and diesel fuels, which are required
by the Clean Air Act modifications of 1990.
The company continues to make extensive and ongoing investments, which are designed to achieve
cleaner burning products and reduced air emissions. This is exemplified in the extensive environmental upgrades
that are part of a $200 million upgrade project that is scheduled to complete in the 3rd quarter of 2008.
Placid Refining Company LLC cares about the environment in which its employees and
neighbors live. We take great pride in the fact that the Port Allen refinery
meets or exceeds all applicable state and federal environmental regulations. Over
the past decade, we have successfully worked hard to substantially reduce all
types of emissions.
Safety Pays Off at Placid Refining Company LLC
There is only one way for a Placid Refining Company LLC employee to perform his or her
job at the refinery - the safe way. Placid management takes very seriously their
responsibility to operate the refinery in as safe a manner as humanly possible.
Placid Refining Company LLC employees attend regular safety training sessions
at which new safety procedures are taught and existing ones reinforced. During the
course of a year plant employees are trained on 46 separate safety subjects.
Preparation for emergencies is also a critical part of the Placid Refining Company LLC
safety process. The refinery maintains four highly trained emergency response teams
that can be activated on a moment's notice.
This emphasis on safety has paid off. The refinery consistently ranks among the top
10 percent of refineries in the United States in terms of safety.
In 1997 Placid Refining Company LLC was the only refinery in the United States to receive the Distinguished
Safety Award from the National Petroleum Refiner's Association.
Placid repeated this feat by winning the Distinguished Safety Award again in 2005.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) welcomed the Placid Refining Co. in
Port Allen, La. into the prestigious Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) at the "Star" or highest, level.
"Placid Refining has demonstrated excellence in effective safety and health management," said OSHA acting Regional Administrator
Frank Strasheim in Dallas. "The company's outstanding efforts include achieving an injury and illness rate that is
87 percent below the national average for the industry."
Placid is pleased to offer services to our customers to allow for self service review of their messages, invoices,
EFT transactions, and fuel prices.
In addition, customers are able to view their allocation levels.
Placid plans to keep 4 months of historic information available. This amount of data will be accumulated over time.
All of this information is availble for download.
Instructions for the use of the customer area can be download here:
Quick Reference Guide
User's Guide
Customers must be registered with the our information provider (DTN). For those that have not registered, or wish to add
more persons who can access the site, please send the following information:
- Company Name
- Placid issued Customer ID
- eMail address of each person to access the information
eMail addresses must be unique for each person accessing the site
- Password for each eMail address
to Joy Hopkins or
Pam Noble
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Many of Placid's civic activities are centered on education. Under Louisiana's "Adopt-a-School" program, Placid has
adopted Port Allen Middle School and Port Allen High School. Placid's involvement with the schools has brought
innumerable benefits to students. For example, every spring Placid awards a $1,000-per-year scholarship to a
graduating senior at Port Allen High School and 2 scholarships to the Associated Builders and Contractors
Training Center (ABC Scholarship Program).
