Shell Says Deer Park Facility 'Now Up and Running' After Harvey

Royal Dutch Shell PLC said Thursday its Deer Park refinery and chemical plant in the Houston area is again operating, more than three weeks after shutting down due to Hurricane Harvey.

"Shell Deer Park is now up and running," the company said, adding that its employees, as well as contractors and local agencies "worked around the clock to get the site up and running as quickly as possible despite the devastating personal impacts of the hurricane."

Shell began shutting down Deer Park on Aug. 27, citing "inclement weather conditions" from Harvey. The storm's effects -- especially the flooding -- forced refineries up and down the Gulf coast to shut down, and at one point in early September about 25% of total U.S. refining capacity was offline. Most of the shut refineries have since restarted, or at least begun the restart process.

Shell Deer Park is located along the Houston Ship Channel, 20 miles east of downtown Houston. The facility includes a 326,000-barrel-a-day refinery. The company's statement Thursday didn't make clear whether the refinery is now working at normal operating capacity, or at reduced rates.

Write to Dan Molinski at dan.molinski@wsj.com

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September 21, 2017 19:05 ET (23:05 GMT)