Shell Shutting Its Deer Park Refinery Near Houston

Royal Dutch Shell PLC said Sunday it was shutting its Deer Park refinery and chemical plant in the Houston area due to severe weather.

"The top priority of Shell Deer Park is to operate in a safe and environmentally sound manner," the company said in an emailed statement. "Due to continued inclement weather conditions from Hurricane Harvey, Shell Deer Park is conducting a controlled/planned shutdown of the refinery and chemical plant."

Shell Deer Park is along the Houston Ship Channel, 20 miles east of downtown Houston. The facility includes a 285,000-barrel-a-day refinery.

Hurricane Harvey reached Texas landfall Friday night. While Houston didn't receive an immediate, direct hit, torrential rains connected to the storm are lashing the city, causing major flooding. Other refineries in the Houston area have also announced they are shutting down operations.

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

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 27, 2017 12:48 ET (16:48 GMT)