VALDEZ -- Petro Star Inc. plans to reopen its Valdez refinery in October, the company said. The refinery was severely damaged in a fire last December.
The company said its reconstruction recently reached a milestone when a key crude-oil column -- 130 feet tall, 12 feet in diameter and weighing more than 100 tons -- was set on its foundation, said Doug Chapados, chief executive of Petro Star. Inside the column, crude oil is separated into various products, including jet and diesel fuels.
Petro Star also is installing machinery to take sulfur out of diesel fuel to meet specifications of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for reducing pollution.
Barrow-based Native corporation Arctic Slope Regional Corp. owns Petro Star, which also has a refinery in North Pole.
Anchorage Daily News