Proposed Brownsville refinery advances with major engineering deal as investment decision nears
Cargo vessels dock at the Port of Brownsville, where the proposed America First Refining project could bring the first new U.S. oil refinery built in nearly 50 years to the Rio Grande Valley. Courtesy of | Port of Brownsville

America First Refining has hired another major contractor to advance its proposed Brownsville refinery as the company works toward a final investment decision on the project.

Houston-based Matrix Service Company announced Wednesday that it was awarded the front-end engineering and design work for the refinery’s storage tank farm, which would store both the domestic crude oil coming into the refinery and the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel produced there.

Matrix described the contract as a “major step” toward America First Refining reaching a final investment decision, or FID — the point at which the developer formally decides whether to commit the capital needed to build the project.

The award provides another sign of engineering work moving forward on the proposed refinery, which the Trump administration has said would be the first new major U.S. refinery constructed in more than 50 years.

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