Flint Hills Reports Emission at Corpus Christ, TX, Refinery


   
Maria Eugenia Garcia
DTN Energy Editor

   HOUSTON, TX (DTN) -- Flint Hills Resources reported emission events at its 
269,700 bpd Corpus Christi West Refinery after intermittent flaring broke out 
during a unit startup following planned maintenance on the facility's HF 
alkylation unit deisobutanizer column, according to a filing with the Texas 
Commission on Environmental Quality released Friday (3/6).

   The event began at approximately 7:34 p.m. CST on March 5, 2026, with 
flaring occurring simultaneously at the First Stage Flare (V-6) and Second 
Stage Flare (V-5-MAIN), according to the filing.  Operations returned to normal 
at 9:39 p.m. CST, however, the root cause remains under investigation.

   Across both flare points, an estimated 38 air contaminant compounds were 
released, with a combined maximum potential total of approximately 1,918 
pounds, which included carbon monoxide (692 lbs), isobutane (519 lbs), sulfur 
dioxide (165 lbs), nitrogen oxides (120 lbs), benzene (56 lbs), and propane (99 
lbs).

   The incident remains listed as open.

    




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