Chevron Begins Production at New Base Oil Plant

Chevron recently announced that it has begun commercial production of premium base oils from a newly constructed manufacturing facility at the company's refinery in Pascagoula, Miss.

Base oils produced at the facility will add to capacity from the company's refinery in Richmond, Calif., and a joint venture facility in Korea, approximately doubling Chevron's production capacity and positioning it to be the world's largest producer of premium base oil.

"Lubricants are a high-growth business supporting economic development worldwide," said Mike Wirth, executive vice president of Chevron Downstream and Chemicals. "The addition of the Pascagoula plant to Chevron's base oil network enhances Chevron's reputation as a reliable and flexible base oil supplier globally."

Base oils from the new facility will supply customers in the eastern U.S., Europe and Latin America, with Richmond continuing to supply the western U.S., and both Richmond and the Korean plant supplying Asia.

The new facility is designed to manufacture 25,000 barrels per day of premium base oil, helping countries around the world meet increasingly strict regulatory requirements and higher performance standards for lubricants.

Premium base oil is the main ingredient in the production of top-tier motor oils that help improve fuel economy, lower tail-pipe emissions and extend the time between oil changes.

The base oil facility uses Chevron's Isodewaxing technology, which was invented in 1993 to produce higher yields and enable a broader range of crude oil to be used in the manufacturing process.

For more information, visit www.chevron.com.