达拉斯地区的初创公司 Element Fuels Holdings 提议建造近 50 年来第一座全新的美国炼油厂，该公司 6 月 6 日表示，将重新启动在德克萨斯州南部建造一座大型工厂的工作。

企业家 John Calce 旗下的 ARX Energy 和 JupiterMLP 初创公司此前已至少两次提出德克萨斯州布朗斯维尔的项目，其中一次导致申请破产。该项目最初由一家控股公司所有，该公司还拥有 Centurion Terminals。

Element 正在寻求为第一阶段筹集资金，这将使炼油厂能够将约 50,000 桶/天至 55,000 桶/天的石脑油原料加工成汽油。 Calce 表示，该公司估计初始阶段将耗资约 12 亿美元。

该公司表示，正在与银行、私人信贷基金以及美国能源部就《通货膨胀削减法案》的资金进行谈判。

总部位于得克萨斯州艾迪生的 Element Fuels 首席执行官约翰·卡尔斯 (John Calce) 表示，JupiterMLP 的早期努力“由于多种原因”失败了。该公司持有得克萨斯州授权建设该工厂的许可证。

卡尔斯在接受采访时表示，该炼油厂最终将加工来自德克萨斯州西部和南部油田的美国页岩油。相比之下，美国墨西哥湾沿岸炼油厂主要加工中质至重质原油。

“我们对美国页岩油市场充满信心，”他在谈到为什么坚持该项目时表示，并补充说该国“非常非常长的轻质原油和短缺的炼油能力”。

Element 计划在现场建造一座装机容量为 165 兆瓦的发电厂，由炼油厂生产的氢气提供动力。他表示，该公司正在与炼油厂的信贷对手方进行谈判，并与电力方的对手方签订了长期承购合同，但他没有透露姓名。

“（对于新炼油厂而言）最难获得的是融资，”炼油咨询公司 Refined Fuels Analytics 董事总经理约翰·奥尔斯 (John Auers) 表示。奥尔斯表示，新炼油项目的寿命可能有限，汽油需求预计将在 2030 年至 2031 年达到峰值，而柴油和喷气燃料等中间馏分油的需求将在 2040 年之后达到峰值。

卡尔斯表示，如果出现这种需求破坏，Element Fuels 可能会将其炼油厂转变为石化厂，或者将精炼产品出口到电动汽车采用率较低的国家。

卡尔塞补充说，该炼油厂的设计还具有灵活性，可以生产各种等级的燃料。

Element Fuels Holdings, a Dallas-area startup proposing to build the first all-new U.S. oil refinery in nearly 50 years, on June 6 said it was relaunching efforts to build a large plant in South Texas.

The Brownsville, Texas, project has been proposed by entrepreneur John Calce at least twice before by his ARX Energy, and JupiterMLP startups, with one leading to a bankruptcy filing. The project was originally owned by a holding company that also owned Centurion Terminals.

Element is looking to raise funds for the first phase, which will allow the refinery to process about 50,000 bbl/d to 55,000 bbl/d of naphtha feedstock into gasoline. The company estimates the initial phase will cost about $1.2 billion, Calce said.

The company said it was in talks with banks, private credit funds as well the U.S. Department of Energy for funding from the Inflation Reduction Act.

Earlier efforts under JupiterMLP failed "for a host of reasons," said John Calce, CEO of Addison, Texas-based Element Fuels, which holds a Texas state permit authorizing construction of the plant.

The refinery eventually will process U.S. shale oil from fields in West and South Texas, Calce said in an interview. In comparison, U.S. Gulf Coast refineries largely process medium to heavy crude.

"We had conviction around the U.S. shale oil market," he said on why he has stuck with the project, adding the country was "very, very long, light crude and short refining capacity."

Element plans to build an on-site power plant, with 165 megawatt capacity, powered by hydrogen produced by the refinery. It is in negotiations with a credit counterparty for the refinery, and has a long-term off take contract with a counterparty on the power side, he said, without naming either.

"The hardest thing (for a new refinery) to get is financing," said John Auers, managing director of refining consultancy Refined Fuels Analytics. He said new refining projects could have a limited life with demand for gasoline expected to peak in 2030-2031, and for middle distillates such as diesel and jet fuel after 2040, Auers said.

Element Fuels could turn its refinery into a petrochemicals plant down the road if such demand destruction occurs, or export the refined products to countries with less electric vehicle adoption, Calce said.

The refinery is also designed with flexibility to produce various fuel grades, Calce added.