Valero Corpus Christi Refinery Reports Tank Farm Spill

HOUSTON, TX (DTN)– Valero Energy Corporation, via Valero Refining-Texas reported an emissions event at its 125,000 bpd Corpus Christi Refinery East Plant in Corpus Christi, according to a filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

The incident took place Monday (5/4) between 1:45 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. CT, with a duration of roughly 3 hours and 15 minutes, according to the filling.

The emission vent stemmed from a loss of containment at the Complex 7 tank farm after a roof drain failure on a crude storage tank led to a spill exceeding reportable quantities. Emissions were estimated at about 14 pounds of benzene, 444 pounds of heptanes, and 120 pounds of nonanes.

Based on the report, crews isolated the affected drain, recovered spilled material using vacuum trucks, and plan to remove impacted soil for proper disposal. An investigation into the cause is ongoing.

Corpus Christi Refinery East Plant is a key U.S. Gulf Coast asset, processing sour crude oil to produce asphalt and light products. 

Valero was contacted for further comment, but no response was received by publication time.