Par Pacific updates COVID-19 plan for Hawaii refining system

Par Pacific Holdings Inc. has taken additional measures at subsidiary Par Hawaii Refining LLC’s 94,000-b/d and nearby 54,000-b/d refineries in Kapolei, Ha., on the island of Oahu, to preserve the company’s liquidity while still accommodating Hawaii’s reduced demand for refined products amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) health crisis (OGJ Online, Mar. 25, 2020).

As of May 5, Par Pacific implemented a furlough of 29 employees at its Kapolei refineries, but the staff reduction is not expected to affect the operator’s ability to maintain an ample supply of refined products to satisfy Hawaii’s current demand, the company said.

Alongside the Hawaii personnel furlough, effective May 5, Par Pacific’s president and chief executive officer and independent members of the company’s board of directors also reduced their cash salaries by 75% as a result of the COVID-19 impact.

The company did not specify timeframes for either the furlough or salary reductions.

The recently announced measures follow Par Pacific’s late-March disclosure that it had indefinitely reduced throughput rates and would defer a planned turnaround of the combined 148,000-b/d Hawaii system as initial steps to deal with the global health crisis.