LAKE CHARLES, La., Oct. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the CITGO Lake Charles Refinery celebrated 70 years of operations in the great state of Louisiana. The refinery, which first went online in 1944, is the largest CITGO refinery and produces more than 3.2 billion gallons of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other finished petroleum products every year.
Hundreds of employees – current and retired – as well as local officials, community leaders and organizations joined CITGO to participate in the 70th Anniversary celebration.
"CITGO is proud of our Louisiana heritage and our long history of providing fuel for residents and industries throughout the United States," said CITGO President and CEO, Nelson P. Martinez. "The community-minded attitude embraced by the team at our Lake Charles Refinery is reflective of a larger, company-wide commitment to all communities in which we live and operate."
The CITGO Lake Charles Refinery has a rich history, of local and national significance. As the United States was drawn into World War II, it needed additional capacity to fuel military equipment. To that end, the refinery was built as a 100-octane aviation fuel facility in Louisiana, which in 1944 was the largest plant of its type in the world.
In Louisiana, as hundreds of people moved to build and operate the Lake Charles Refinery, the Maplewood community in Sulphur was established. Today, Maplewood is a thriving community and the refinery has grown to become a leading manufacturer of high-quality transportation fuels and petrochemicals in the United States, providing jobs for approximately 1,100 regular full-time employees and more than 850 contractors.
Just as it did 70 years ago, the refinery continues to make community service a priority, contributing regularly to several charitable organizations including United Way, SWLA Muscular Dystrophy Association and the SWLA Center for Health Services. Refinery employees donated more than 4,000 volunteer hours in 2013 alone, and are actively involved in activities that improve their community, including CITGO Caring for Our Coast, a year-long initiative focused on restoring parts of the coast that were destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita nine years ago.
About CITGO Petroleum Corporation
CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit CITGO.com.
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SOURCE CITGO