US fourth largest refiner Marathon Petroleum has decided to defer the final investment decision on the residual oil upgrader expansion ("ROUX") project at its 520,000 bbl/d Garyville refinery in Louisiana (United States), until the group further evaluates the implications of current market conditions on the project. The group plans to invest US$1.28bn in refining and marketing in 2015, including US$370m for refining margin enhancement project, US$675m for refinery-sustaining capital and US$235m for midstream investments.
In April 2014, Marathon Petroleum had announced that it planned to invest US$2.2-2.5bn in the upgrade programme, which would enable to convert heavy residual oil into ultra-low sulfur diesel. The company planned to add hydrocracking, hydrotreating and desulfurization equipment installations at its refinery. If approved, construction was expected start as early as mid-2015 with commissioning of the new facilities in 2018.