27-megawatt solar complex is the company’s second large-scale refinery integrated solar installation in U.S.
Corpus Christi, Texas – Flint Hills Resources gathered with project partners, employees, community members, and local officials today to mark the commissioning of a new, fully operational 27-megawatt solar installation that provides power to the company’s Corpus Christi West refinery. With 56,728 solar panels located on 100 acres of land adjacent to the west refinery, the $53 million project is the first of its kind in Texas and will be used exclusively to help power the Corpus Christi West refinery.
Under optimal conditions, the panels are expected to generate up to 27 megawatts of power or approximately 28% of the refinery’s power needs, which is the equivalent of powering more than 5,100 homes each year. The installation will help Corpus Christi West enhance its power supply, lower production costs, improve the energy efficiency of its operations and reduce utility grid emissions.
“This landmark solar installation is a major step forward in our efforts to continually improve the efficiency of our operations and competitiveness,” said Rodney Dillon, Vice President and Manufacturing Manager for Flint Hills Resources Corpus Christi. “We’re thrilled to be the first refinery in Texas and among first refineries in the nation to incorporate large-scale, on-site solar generation directly into our operations as a way to lower our energy costs and improve our performance.
The Corpus Christi solar project is Flint Hills Resources’ second refinery location to feature a large-scale solar installation to help power its operations. The company’s Pine Bend refinery in Minnesota was the nation’s first and it was the largest of its kind at 45 megawatts when it went online in 2023.
Construction of the Corpus Christi solar installation began in September 2024. DEPCOM Power served as the project’s engineering, procurement, and construction contractor – the same company that built the 45-megawatt solar project at the Flint Hills Resources’ Pine Bend refinery in Rosemount, Minnesota. Leaders from the Scottsdale, Arizona-based energy solutions firm were present for today’s commissioning event.
“This solar installation at the Corpus Christi West Refinery represents a major milestone for DEPCOM Power, marking our largest project designed to power a single, critical industrial facility in Texas,” said Bryon Lamon, DEPCOM Power’s Senior Vice President of Project Delivery. “As demand grows for cost-effective behind-the-meter energy solutions at industrial scale, we’re proud to help lead the way in proving solar a dependable, reliable power source for the oil and gas industry.”
Flint Hills Resources Corpus Christi recently achieved the US Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry by reducing its energy intensity by 10.3% within three years. In addition to the solar project, the refinery operates a combined heat and power system that supplies about 30 megawatts of electricity to refinery operations. At peak capacity, the CHP and solar installation together could satisfy up to 60% of the Corpus Christi West refinery’s power needs.
Since 2000, Flint Hills Resources Corpus Christi refineries have reduced criteria air emissions by approximately 70% while increasing production to meet demand. Per barrel produced, total criteria air emissions are down approximately 60% and Scope 1 and 2 GHG emission intensity is down by approximately 30% since 2010.
With two refineries located in Corpus Christi, both plants operate continuously and supply jet fuel, ultra-low sulfur diesel and gasoline, as well as the chemical-building blocks used in thousands of everyday products people and communities depend on.
About Flint Hills Resources
Flint Hills Resources is a leading refining company with operations primarily in the Midwest and Texas. Flint Hills operates the Pine Bend refinery in Rosemount, Minnesota and two refineries in Corpus Christi, TX with a combined crude oil processing capacity of more than 700,000 barrels per day. The company produces, markets and transports refined products including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt, and heating oils. Flint Hills Resources also owns and/or operates more than 4,000 miles of pipelines that transport crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas liquids, and chemicals that are delivered through a distribution system of more than 40 terminals throughout the Midwest and Texas.
About DEPCOM Power
DEPCOM Power, a Koch Engineered Solutions business, is an integrated provider of engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) as well as operations and maintenance (O&M) services for the utility-scale solar and energy storage industries. DEPCOM leverages a highly experienced power team, technology-agnostic top-tier equipment, and cost-effective solution delivery methods to provide optimum levels of agility, price, and quality. For more information about DEPCOM, please visit depcompower.com.
Media Contacts