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 Located near the intersections of Highways 52 and 55 in Rosemount, Minnesota, FHR's Pine Bend Refinery is the largest heavy crude processing facility in the world. Every day the Pine Bend Refinery converts 280,000 barrels of crude oil into 10 million gallons of petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, propane and butane. FHR manufactures additional products at the refinery that enhance daily life in the Midwest, such as asphalt for highways and driveways, fuel to heat homes and businesses, carbon dioxide for soft drinks and sulfur for fertilizer products. FHR's Minnesota roots date back to 1969 when the company acquired majority interest in the refinery from the Great Northern Oil Company. More than $1 billion has been invested in the facility since it was built in 1955 to keep pace with growing consumer fuel demand and advancing environmental and safety technology. Pine Bend's greatest asset is the 700 employees and over 200 independent contractors who operate one of the most technologically advanced refineries in the country. The employees of Flint Hills Resources are engineers, chemists, plant operators, firefighters, office workers, electricians, nurses, welders, pipefitters, truck drivers, lab technicians, carpenters, painters, computer specialists and maintenance reliability people. Sixty percent of employees live in neighborhoods surrounding Pine Bend. More than 400 Pine Bend employees are PACE Union Local 7-662 members. (PACE stands for Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union.) PACE employees work around the clock maintaining and operating the refinery, as well as running the laboratory testing facility. Since 1969, the refinery has tripled in capacity and provides the majority of transportation fuels that keep Minnesota moving. In order to meet consumer demand, FHR has become a leader in producing cleaner-burning and environmentally friendly products. In fact, gasoline refined at Pine Bend has four times less sulfur content than the average gasoline sold in the United States. Fuel refined at Pine Bend is distributed to the Twin Cities, greater Minnesota and the Upper Midwest either by pipeline, truck, rail and occasionally Mississippi River barge. FHR's pipeline system covers 537 miles in Minnesota and Wisconsin, including a dedicated pipeline to the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport that supplies a large percentage of the jet fuel used at the airport. FHR is committed to operating a safe and environmentally sound business that provides high-quality products and services while contributing to Minnesota's economy. According to the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development, FHR contributes more than $600 million annually to the gross state product. The "ripple effect" of that contribution totals $2.2 billion per year in sales by various contractors. Tours are offered by appointment, and last from 1 to 2 hours. You'll see a slide presentation about FHR's facility, visit the central control room, take a drive through the heart of the facility and end up at the refinery's own fully-equipped fire station. Tours are limited to persons from the Upper Midwest over the age of 18. For further information, please call the Public Affairs Department at (651) 437-0584. To view a map of the refinery's location, please click here. This will take you to Mapquest, where you will be able to get driving directions to the refinery. To return to this site, use the back button on your browser. For more information on FHR and our products, please visit our Web sites, listed in the InfoLink at left. |
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