Meridian Energy Group Inc., Irvine, Calif., said preliminary works are under way and advancing as planned for its proposed 55,000-b/sd Davis refinery to be built in the heart of southwestern North Dakota’s Bakken shale region, near Belfield, ND.
With site planning for the project now completed, Meridian now is working with engineering firm Vepica USA Inc., Houston, a subsidiary of Vepica CA, Caracas, to finalize details regarding capital and operating costs for the project, as well as to evaluate specific crude-feedstock options available to the refinery through process tolling agreements currently under negotiation with local Bakken and nearby producers, Meridian said.
Vepica additionally will soon begin analyses of potential emission rates from the proposed refinery for permitting purposes, Meridian said.
Meridian also has secured a suite of processing equipment for the planned refinery through a preliminary agreement with unidentified sellers.
As a result of the equipment deal, Meridian said it likely will be able to shorten the project schedule so that the refinery would reach startup sometime in 2018, as previously announced (OGJ Online, Dec. 23, 2015).
Late last year, Meridian let a contract to Vepica and BASIC Equipment, Houston, to provide a series of engineering studies and support services for the proposed high-conversion refinery, which once up and running, would serve Bakken crude oil producers and local liquid fuels and chemicals markets.
Meridian plans to break ground on the project by mid-2016, the company said in December.
Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].