HOUSTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) – Marathon Petroleum (MPC.N) restarted a rebuilt reformer at its 593,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Galveston Bay Refinery in Texas City, Texas, on Thursday, people familiar with plant operations said.
Marathon plans to resume production on the 75,000-bpd Ultraformer-3 (UU-3) on Friday, the sources said.
A Marathon spokesperson was not available after business hours to discuss refinery operations.
UU-3 was shut by a deadly May 15 fire that claimed the life of a Marathon employee. The fire was so extensive a lengthy rebuild was required.
Reformers convert refining byproducts into octane-boosting components added to unfinished gasoline to make premium-grade products.
The Galveston Bay Refinery is the fourth largest by capacity in the United States, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Jacqueline Wong
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