"Our mission is ‘safe, reliable, profitable operations,’ and this project checks all those boxes,” Chevron general manager Tim Sutherland says of the Light Tight Oil (LTO) project.

The project, which recently received regulatory approval, will increase the amount of crude oil that can be processed at the Chevron Pasadena Refinery in Pasadena, Texas.

The ability to process more crude oil at the facility will expand Chevron’s Gulf Coast refining system and help supply a portion of our retail market in Texas and Louisiana.

What is light tight oil?

Tight oil is a type of crude oil produced from shale. In the case of their LTO project, Chevron plan to use tight oil sourced from the Permian Basin, which is located in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico.

Adding the ability to process Permian crude oil will support Chevron’s focus on delivering affordable, reliable, ever-cleaner energy in the United States.

Why it matters

The LTO project will increase the processing capacity at the facility by almost 15% to 125,000 barrels per day.

In addition to increasing capacity, the project will add jet fuel to the facility’s portfolio, decommission certain units, reduce process safety risks and lower the permitted emissions of the refinery.

How it started

Since purchasing the Pasadena Refinery in 2019, Chevron has invested in the facility’s people, processes, systems and equipment.

“Executing this major capital project is a vote of confidence in the future of the facility and Pasadena community,” Sutherland says.

How it’s going

Chevron Pasadena provides a strategic location along the Houston Ship Channel to process Permian crude oil. The refinery offers more than 5 million barrels of crude oil storage capacity and access to a dock, numerous pipelines and a product blending center.

Approximately 600 direct employees and contractors work at the facility.

KeyFacts Energy: Chevron US country profile