Mandan Refinery

It began operations on October 2, 1954 [4] with four process units (pipestill, fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU), vapor recovery unit (VRU) and solid-catalyst oligomer or "polymer gasoline" unit) plus a two boiler co-generation steam/electrical powerhouse and associated tankage for crude storage and product blending and shipping. An alkylation unit began operation the following year; the catalytic reforming unit was added in 1958. Over 2.6 million barrels of oil storage capacity exists at the site.[5]

A number of ownership and name changes are associated with the facility. American Oil Company was the name used in the upper Midwest by the Standard Oil Company of Indiana but in 1973 shortened it to Amoco Oil Company for marketing purposes. Keeping with the trend in the 1980s for the Standard Oil spinoffs to establish separate identities, Standard Oil Company of Indiana changed its name to Amoco Corporation in 1985.[6] Amoco merged with British Petroleum in December 1998 to become BP-Amoco. BP-Amoco sold the Mandan Refinery to Tesoro Corporation on September 6, 2001.[7] Tesoro Corporation underwent a name change on August 1, 2017 to Andeavor after its acquisition of Western Refining.[8] On April 30, 2018 Marathon Petroleum announced it would seek to buy Andeavor and close the deal by the end of 2018.[9]

The refinery hosted President Donald Trump on September 6, 2017 for a speech on tax reform.[10] The visit marks the third time a sitting US president visited the city of Mandan.

The original crude furnace was replaced in 1974 with a CO-fired furnace to capture heat from the FCU exhaust as well as burn the carbon monoxide generated as a process byproduct. A sulfur recovery unit was placed on-line in 1986 to lower sulfur dioxide emissions by over 65%. To support an unprecedented demand for distillates in North Dakota's oil patch, a major expansion project was undertaken in 2012 to increase the processing capacity to 68,000 BPD.[12] A wet scrubber was installed on the CO-fired crude furnace to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions further and eliminate stack particulates in 2015. The expansion in 2017 brings the current nameplate processing capacity at the site to almost 74,000 barrels per day.

The prestigious National Blue Heron Environmental Achievement Award, sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation and supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in its North American Waterfowl Management Plan, recognizes outstanding contributions toward the conservation of waterfowl habitat.[13] The Mandan Refinery received the award in 1985 for its "North 40" project.

The North 40 project began in 1974 as a creative way to expand the refinery's wastewater treating system. Championed by then refinery manager William "Bill" Burns, over half of the refinery's 960-acre was devoted to wastewater treatment and wildlife conservation. Nearly 200 bird species and many types of mammals find food, cover and breeding sites in this wildlife habitat.[14]

The facility has achieved multiple safety milestones. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recognized the then Tesoro Petroleum refinery in Mandan "for an exemplary workplace safety and health program." The petroleum refinery was designated as a "star" site, the highest level of recognition offered by OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs.[15] In 2014, its workforce achieved one of the best OSHA Recordable Rate safety performances in the country. In 2015, the refinery logged 3.8 million hours without Days Away From Work (DAFW) injury.[16] In its most recent safety achievement, the Mandan Refinery was awarded the AFPM Silver Safety award in May 2018 as it was among the top 5% of all refining member companies in safety performance.[17]