NORCO — Four huge vessels, each weighing about 130 tons, will be trucked from the Bonnet Carre Spillway to the Valero St. Charles refinery, starting today at 1 p.m.

Part of the plant’s new upgrades, the equipment will be used in the hydrogen production facility, which is currently under construction. The Louisiana State Police and the St. Charles Sheriff’s Department will help direct and detour traffic in an effort to ensure the safety of and minimize the impact on area residents.

The work will continue through Saturday, with one piece of equipment being transported each day, starting at 10 a.m. on those days. It will take approximately two hours to transport each piece of equipment.

The route runs down River Road to Apple Street, then to Highway 61 and on to the Valero St. Charles refinery (see map on Page 6A).

The transport operation is being coordinated by Valero St. Charles Refinery and Technip USA Corporation, who is the major construction company on the hydrogen plant project.

The Valero St. Charles Refinery has 600 employees and 350 full-time contract employees.  

It refines 260,000 barrels of oil per day and its primary products include gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other petroleum products. 

Current upgrades at the refinery are part of the company’s ongoing commitment to make the St. Charles facility one of the safest and most operationally efficient in the industry.

The St. Charles refinery is one of 18 plants owned and operated by Valero Energy Corporation.