Tesoro plans to shutter FCCU in integration of L.A. refineries

HOUSTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Independent West Coast refiner Tesoro Corp plans to permanently close a gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracking unit when it integrates its two Los Angeles-area refineries by early 2017, the company said on its website.

Tesoro owned a 104,500 bpd refinery on the edge of Wilmington, California when it purchased an adjoining 251,000 bpd refinery located along the city limit of Carson, California, from BP Plc in 2013.

Tesoro has been operating the refineries separately.

The company has previously said it plans to close the 36,000 bpd cat cracker at the Wilmington refinery, without specifying when it would complete the work.

The Carson refinery's FCCU has daily throughput capacity of 104,000 bpd.

Marathon Petroleum Corp plans to close down an FCCU as it rationalizes operations at adjoining refineries in Texas City, Texas, one of which was purchased from BP in 2013.

Valero Energy Corp permanently shut a FCCU at its 125,000 bpd refinery in Meraux, Louisiana, in September as part of an agreement the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce pollution from the plant. (Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Richard Chang)