Idle Woods Cross oil refinery to hold open house

WOODS CROSS — Before Silver Eagle Refining Inc. begins refining oil again, company officials will hold an open house.

It is scheduled for Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Legacy Preparatory Academy, 2214 S. 1250 West, in Woods Cross.

During the open house, residents will have access to representatives who can discuss home damage-repair questions, refinery safety and operating plans. Also, 15-passenger buses will depart for the refinery for 45- to 60-minute tours.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board asked the company to halt operations in the wake of a hydrogen explosion last November at the Mobil Distillate Dewaxing unit. The explosion damaged homes in a nearby neighborhood, prompting an outcry from residents.

The refinery's insurance company has received 271 damage claims, said Mike Redd, Silver Eagle vice president for refining and operations.

The crude-oil unit the refinery plans to start up on Sunday was not involved in the explosion. The unit separates various products derived from crude oil by heating them, said Gary Uresk, Woods Cross city manager.

"We feel that as long as they've gone through and had the appropriate people looking at it, we're fine with them starting that unit up," Uresk said.

The refinery has been losing about $800,000 a day because of the shutdown.

Uresk said if the refinery is healthy and making money, it can better pay for its obligations.

The refinery had mostly shut down in mid-November, except for some boilers left on to keep the plant's systems from freezing during the winter. Also, occasional tanker trucks have arrived from the company's Wyoming refinery to deliver product to Utah.

According to a notice the refinery sent to residents and that is posted on the Woods Cross city Web site, the company says it is committed to complying with its safety commitments and establishing safety practices.

The refinery says it wants to win back the community's trust and has hired at least three consulting companies to double-check the refinery's systems, processes and procedures for weaknesses.

The chemical safety board was in Woods Cross last week as it continues its investigation of the explosion.

Donald Holmstrom, the agency's lead investigator, said Thursday that his team brought along experts to help look into the blast and the metallurgy of the affected pipes and vessels. He said he expects to have the failed pipe removed for lab testing within a month.