Last I heard this is still on track:
Murphy Oil owners want to expand in Superior
by Bob Kelleher, Minnesota Public Radio
July 24, 2007
You may have noticed the high gasoline prices lately. Experts blame the latest increase on a flooded refinery in Kansas. They say area gas prices will spike from time to time until there's a better supply for this region.
That may be coming, with plans for a new oil refinery in South Dakota, and in Wisconsin, a major expansion is proposed for a refinery in Superior.
.
.
.
"For one it's a very capital intensive business," says Podratz. "It costs a lot of money to build refineries, especially now. Steel prices are through the roof. Refineries take a lot of steel. Skilled labor is tough to find."
But the economics may be changing. Tight capacity can push gas prices higher, as we've seen this summer. When retail gas prices go up, independent of the cost of crude oil, refineries can make money.
That may be why a Dallas Company has proposed a 400,000 barrel a day refinery for southeastern South Dakota. Meanwhile, Podratz has unveiled a tentative plan to expand Murphy Oil's Superior refinery, from 35,000 barrels a day to 235,000.
Some people say that would be great for Superior.
Jeff Vito"We're talking a potential of $6.2 billion investment," says Jeff Vito, Superior's Planning Director. "To put that in some perspective, the total value of the city of Superior is about a billion-and-a-half dollars.
.
.
.
minnesota.publicradio.org |
