ExxonMobil plans to increase production of ultra-low sulfur fuels at its Beaumont refinery by approximately 40 Mbpd, further strengthening its integrated downstream portfolio while meeting environmental standards.

Construction is scheduled for the second half of 2016 to install a selective cat naphtha hydrofining unit, which uses a proprietary catalyst system to remove sulfur while minimizing octane loss. Startup of the flexibletechnology is expected in 2018. Gasoline produced using this technology will meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 3 gasoline sulfur specifications.

Installation of the selective cat naphtha hydrofining unit is the facility’s second expansion project in a year, following the announcement of the Beaumont refinery’s capacity expansion in 2015.