Our Refinery
60,000 Barrels a Day. One Product. Zero Compromises.
A 60,000 barrel-per-day refinery in Pecos County, Texas, engineered specifically for Permian light sweet crude and built to produce the ultra-low sulfur diesel this region consumes and currently imports.
Project Overview
Modular, Efficient, and Integrated
The design goal is not maximum complexity. It’s maximum efficiency for a specific crude, a specific product, and a specific market.
The Pecos UltraClean Refining Project is a 60,000 barrel-per-day refining facility under development in Pecos County, Texas.
The refinery is engineered specifically to process Permian light sweet crude at 44-50+ degrees API into ultra-low sulfur diesel, with liquefied petroleum gas produced as a byproduct. It is built as two independent 30,000 barrel-per-day trains constructed to an identical modular design, with carbon capture integrated from the outset and behind-the-meter natural gas generation supplying the facility’s power.
Location
Pecos County
West Texas, Permian Basin
Capacity
60,000 BPD
Two independent 30,000 BPD trains
Feedstock gravity
44–50+° API
West Texas Light Sweet and Condensate
Sulfur in Feed
≤ 0.20%
West Texas Light Sweet and Condensate
Primary Product
ULSD at 5 ppm
3x cleaner than the 15 ppm federal spec
Byproduct
LPG
Residential, agricultural, and industrial use
Carbon capture
~905 tons/day
Integrated, enhanced oil recovery.
Power
Behind-the-meter
Natural gas generation
Construction
24 months
Modular, shop-fabricated
The UltraFuels Design
Engineered Clean from the First Drawing
The design strategy: refine the light sweet shale crude produced in the surrounding basin, with minimal complexity, minimal emissions, and maximum yield of the fuel the region actually needs.
The Pecos refinery is built on UltraFuels, a patented process design developed by Polaris, the project’s engineering and construction firm. Built new, to current standards, with emission-reduction features integrated throughout, it is designed to set a new standard for the industry.
For Pecos, the UltraFuels design has been configured to produce a single primary product: ultra-low sulfur diesel. Omitting the gasoline complex reduces emissions, increases capacity, and directs more of every barrel to ULSD, while retaining the design’s core refining enhancements and its ability to process the lighter Permian crudes.
The feedstock is the basin’s own: West Texas Light Sweet crude and West Texas Condensate, each at or below 0.20% sulfur, supplied under long-term arrangements with major counterparties. That lighter molecular structure does real work. It means lower processing intensity, lower energy demand, and lower emissions per barrel from the very start of the process. In its base configuration, the UltraFuels process upgrades each barrel of light shale crude into finished fuels. The Pecos configuration focuses that capability on ULSD.
Every technology in the design is fully proven and in use across the industry today: ultra-low NOx burners, solid adsorbent hydrogen sulfide removal, current-standard controls throughout. Nothing experimental, nothing grandfathered. State air authorization is already in hand. In July 2026, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued Permit by Rule Registration No. 184580 for UltraClean Refinery South, the first of the facility’s two trains. The second train TCEQ application for UltraClean Refinery North is in process.
Ultra-Low Sulfur, Beyond the Standard
Pecos ULSD is produced at 5 parts per million sulfur, three times cleaner than the 15 ppm federal specification.
The Right Crude
West Texas Light Sweet and West Texas Condensate, at or below 0.20% sulfur, the exact grades the facility was engineered to process.
Cleaner Air by Design
Approximately 95% less SO2, 80% less CO2, and 50% less NOx and VOC per barrel processed than typical Gulf Coast refineries, meeting or exceeding all EPA and TCEQ regulations.
Low-Carbon Power
100% powered by behind-the-meter reciprocating engine generation running certified low-carbon-intensity natural gas.
Proven, Current Technology
Ultra-low NOx burners, solid adsorbent H2S removal, and state-of-the-art equipment throughout, all fully proven and in industry use today.
Built in 24 Months
The facility’s size enables modular, shop-fabricated construction, lowering costs and compressing the schedule to completion within 24 months.
The average American refinery is more than sixty years old, and no major refinery has been built since 1977. The nearest operating refinery in Texas was built in 1928.
The number of U.S. refineries has fallen from 301 in 1982 to about 130 today, with production held flat only by expanding old plants.
Most of the fleet was configured, or retooled in the 1980s, for heavy imported sour crude, the most available and least expensive feedstock of that era. Those facilities carry high capital and energy costs and correspondingly high emissions, and many operate under grandfathered emissions privileges that exempt them from current environmental regulations. Operators are reluctant to upgrade or convert to shale crude, both because of cost and because major modifications can put those grandfathered privileges at risk. Meanwhile, aging heaters and boilers contribute the majority of the fleet’s greenhouse gas emissions, and facilities running beyond optimal capacity face longer maintenance shutdowns and more frequent incidents.
Pecos carries none of that inheritance. It was designed in a single pass, for the crude it will run, the fuel it will make, and the market it will serve.
Optimized for the Permian Basin
Lower Energy, Lower Emissions
High-API, low-sulfur Permian crude inherently streamlines refining. It naturally yields more diesel with less energy and requires minimal hydrotreating. Because the crude is low in sulfur, it requires less hydrogen for treating, and the hydrogen it does need is generated on site. Furthermore, sourcing feedstock and selling finished products locally entirely removes the traditional transportation burden.
- Feedstock Availability: Crude produced in the surrounding basin, in a region that supplies roughly 40% of total U.S. production.
- Regional Logistics: Rail optionality via the TXPF short line with access to three Class I carriers.
- Pipeline Connectivity: 37.8-mile pipelines connect the site to Crane, Texas, bringing crude in and products back out, with access to major regional and Texas Gulf Coast crude systems.
- Reduced Transportation Requirements: Nearly 1,000 miles of Gulf Coast round-trip logistics removed from the supply chain.
Efficient Processing
Low sulfur reduces hydrogen demand, generated on site by steam methane reforming of natural gas
Scalable Design
Expand capacity seamlessly by repeating proven 30,000 BPD trains
The Long Term View
Designed for the Future
The modular approach ensures efficient construction and seamless adaptability. Standardized, repeatable trains allow for capacity growth without core redesigns, while integrated carbon capture underpins Pecos environmental standards. Additionally, its pre-engineered design offers a clear path to expand processing capabilities if market demands shift.
- Modern Engineering: Designed in a single pass for known conditions, rather than accumulated through decades of modification.
- Carbon Capture Integration: Fully integrated CO₂ infrastructure from day one.
- Efficient Operations: A simplified process configuration and remote operation capability keep the fixed cost base low across the asset’s life.
- Built for Growth: Secured land, water, and pipeline access for on-site expansion.
- Adaptability: A defined engineering path to broaden the product slate as markets shift.
The Products
Producing Essential Transportation Fuels
The refinery is built around a deliberately focused product slate. One primary fuel and one byproduct.
Primary Product
Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD)
ULSD powers commercial trucking, agriculture, construction, rail, and the drilling and completion operations that drive the regional economy. It is the fuel West Texas consumes most and produces least, and it is what the entire facility is configured to make.
Byproduct
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)
Produced as a byproduct of the refining process. LPG supports residential heating and cooking, commercial applications, agricultural crop drying, and a range of industrial uses across a region where many customers sit beyond the reach of natural gas distribution.
What products will the refinery produce?
Ultra-low sulfur diesel is the primary product, with liquefied petroleum gas produced as a byproduct. The facility is built around a deliberately focused product slate rather than a broad one, which is what allows it to run more simply and efficiently than a full-conversion refinery.
Why was Pecos County selected?
Because nearly every input the refinery needs is already there. Permian light sweet crude is produced in the surrounding basin. Natural gas for power is available locally. Established pipeline systems, three Class I railroads, and direct access to the I-10 corridor provide multiple routes to market. Land, water rights, and easements are secured and project-owned. The site also sits inside the West Texas diesel market the refinery is designed to serve, rather than several hundred miles from it.
How is this refinery different from traditional refineries?
Most U.S. refineries were built decades ago to process heavy imported crude and were modified repeatedly over time as markets and regulations changed. Pecos was designed in a single pass for conditions known in advance: one crude, one primary product, one location. It is built as two identical modular trains rather than one large custom plant, with carbon capture integrated into the layout from the first drawing and current-standard emissions controls throughout.
What makes the refinery UltraClean?
The name reflects both the primary product and the design philosophy behind the facility. Ultra-low sulfur diesel is a fuel specification defined by federal standards. Beyond that, building new means deploying today’s emissions control technology from the start, rather than operating equipment grandfathered under decades-old rules. Measured against conventional refining benchmarks, the design targets approximately 95% less SO2, 80% less CO2, and 50% less NOx and VOC per barrel processed than typical Gulf Coast refineries, meeting or exceeding all EPA and TCEQ regulations.
How does the project support domestic energy security?
It adds domestic refining capacity at a time when the United States is retiring more than it builds, and it places that capacity inside the basin that produces the crude. The Permian produces nearly half of America’s oil while importing about 60% of the refined transportation fuel it consumes. Refining locally removes nearly 1,000 miles of round-trip logistics between production and market.
Can the refinery expand in the future?
Yes. The facility is built from standardized, repeatable 30,000 barrel-per-day trains, and that modular structure is specifically intended to allow capacity to be added without redesigning the core plant. Land, water rights, and pipeline connections were secured with expansion in mind.
Is the refinery operating today?
No. The project is in development. Construction begins following financial close, with commercial operation targeted approximately 24 months later.
What does the refinery mean for Pecos County?
Construction will draw on regional contractors and skilled trades, and permanent operations will support long-term technical positions. The facility will also contribute to the county tax base throughout its operating life.
Learn More Behind the Project
Explore more about the refinery’s technology or contact our team to learn more about Pecos UltraClean Refining projects.