Exxon plans spring and year-end overhauls at Beaumont, Texas refinery, sources say

HOUSTON, April 8 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp XOM.N plans overhauls in the spring and at the end of this year at its 612,000 barrel-per-day Beaumont, Texas refinery, said people familiar with plant operations.

In May, Exxon plans to shut the 60,000-bpd coker for a planned overhaul that will continue into June, the sources said.

In December, the 120,000-bpd gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracker will be shut for a planned overhaul along with two hydrotreaters lasting into January, according to the sources.

Cokers convert residual crude oil into feedstocks for motor fuels or petroleum coke, which can be used as a substitute for coal. The Beaumont refinery is the third-largest in the U.S. by crude oil processing capacity, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Exxon spokesperson Kelly DaVila declined to comment on the refinery's operational details.

The Beaumont refinery’s FCCU accounts for 3.3% of FCCU capacity along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Refineries in Texas and Louisiana account for about 60% of U.S. FCCU capacity.

The refinery’s coker capacity is equal to 7.4% of U.S. Gulf Coast coking capacity, according to the EIA.