Energy News - Geothermal Power

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Houston energy company to build largest new refinery in half a century (msn.com)

"Since no one's built a refinery in 50 years, there's probably a better way to do it. Let's optimize it," Element Fuels founder and co-CEO John Calce told the business outlet.

The refinery will be located in the Port of Brownsville and constructed in three phases. The first construction phase includes building a naphtha hydrotreater and reformer, which is expected to be operational by 2027. Element will also build a power plant that uses hydrogen and natural gas to produce energy and include carbon capture and storage to reduce the facility's carbon footprint.

Element Fuels told the Houston Business Journal that it intends to produce enough hydrogen to supply all the refinery's power needs, significantly reducing the refinery's emissions compared to older refineries that run on diesel.

The Houston-based firm said that in its second phase, it will also add a crude distillation unit and diesel hydrotreater. In its third phase, the refinery will investigate using excess hydrogen and carbon dioxide to make biofuels.