Motiva Convent Refinery is proud to be an industrial leader in the River Road Parish region for more than 50 years.

Our commitment to the community is evident whether it’s through our record-breaking contributions to the Capital Area United Way to developing the workforce of tomorrow through scholarships in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and process technology (P-TECH).

The Convent Refinery looks for meaningful ways to contribute to the community where our employees live and work.

“Supporting our community, ensuring the safety and well-being of our neighbors, and reaching out to those in need are important aspects of our operations in St. James and surrounding parishes,” said Odeh Khoury, general manager of the Motiva Convent Refinery.

“Equally crucial to our operations is identifying ways to re-invest in our business to remain competitive in the industry and a major employer in the area. This is why we’re so excited about the recently announced Louisiana Refining System.”

In March, Motiva Enterprises announced plans to integrate its Convent and Norco refineries through a multi-phased project to connect the two refineries through a series of pipelines and modify its operations to take advantage of each refinery’s strengths.

The integration process begins with the planned construction of the Maurepas Pipeline System, which includes a 35-mile intermediates pipeline enabling Convent and Norco to exchange feedstocks,  and a 34-mile crude pipeline connecting a terminal in St. James Parish to the Norco refinery.

The pipelines will be owned, constructed and maintained by SemGroup Corporation, a publicly traded midstream services company.

The Convent and Norco refineries will remain separate operating facilities but work together to create opportunities that will utilize the combined crude capacity of more than 500,000 barrels per day for the combined sites.

“The integration will bring all the major refining assets of both refineries together in a highly competitive system,” Khoury said.  “The pipelines will enable us to connect to crude sources as well as exchange products with the Convent refinery. That’s where the true integration begins.”

Following pipeline construction, Motiva plans to implement additional projects as part of the integration strategy to take advantage of the best units at each refinery.

For example, the fluid catalytic cracker (FCC), which is where the conversion process from crude oil to gasoline, diesel, and other refined products begins, will be idled at the Convent Refinery in favor of the newly upgraded mega-scale FCC at the Norco refinery.

A reconfiguration of the existing hydrocracker at Norco is also planned, which is expected to further improve the performance of the Louisiana Refining System as a whole.

The Louisiana Refining System brings the best aspects of Motiva Enterprises’ Convent and Norco sites together as one of the top five of North America refineries in capacity.

“It is a great project for Convent and Norco, and economically beneficial to Motiva Enterprises and the Louisiana communities we operate in,” Khoury said.

“Instead of two medium-sized refineries, we will have a highly competitive refining complex that is well-positioned in Louisiana for the long run.”

No layoffs are anticipated as a result of the Louisiana integration project, and the construction during the refinery portions of the project could involve up to 700 temporary jobs during its peak.

During pipeline construction SemGroup has estimated that up to 500 temporary construction jobs could be needed.

“The development of the Louisiana Refining System and collaboration with Motiva’s Norco Refinery has significant potential to improve Convent’s competitive position and our continued role as an industrial leader in the community,” Khoury said.

“This project is a game changer for our refinery, opening the way for additional growth and development as the stepping stone for future opportunities.  That is good not only for our business, but for our community, too.”