Flint Hills Resources' Texas refining complex receives crude oil and other raw materials via the Corpus Christi Ship Channel and pipelines. With a processing capacity of about 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day, the refinery produces a variety of petroleum products important to everyday life.

Refined products - including low-sulfur gasoline and diesel, and jet fuel - are transported to San Antonio, Bastrop, Austin, Waco and Dallas/Fort Worth area via company pipelines. The refinery is producing cleaner-burning fuels as a result of more than $2.6 billion spent since 1981 on extensive modifications, which have resulted in significant environmental upgrades at the Corpus Christi complex.

The Texas refining operation has earned industry and government accolades for its safety performance, including one of the industry’s highest honors: the Distinguished Safety Award from the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association. The complex has also earned Star and Superstar status from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Voluntary Protection Programs.

History
Groundbreaking for what is now Flint Hills Resources' West Plant was in November , 1952. The original refinery located on Suntide Road was to be a joint venture between Sunray and Tidewater, hence the name Suntide. However, before plans could be finalized, both parties withdrew. Floyd Martin, executive vice president of Sunray Mid-Continent, left the company, secured financing and started Suntide Refining. The refinery later became a wholly owned subsidiary of Sunray DX Oil Company and, in 1968, became a subsidiary of Sun Oil Company. On Nov. 13, 1981 Koch Industries acquired Sun's Corpus Christi Refinery, which was renamed Koch Refining Company. This refinery included a petrochemicals production operation that marked the company’s initial interests in this business area. One year later, the adjacent Gulf States Refinery was purchased and combined with the existing refining facility.

Continuing its commitment to increase processing capacity and upgrade facilities, the construction of a major refined products pipeline from Corpus Christi to Dallas/Fort Worth began in 1990. Pipeline terminals associated with this project were also constructed in San Antonio, Austin, Waco and Dallas/Fort Worth. Flint Hills Resources continues to be a major supplier of fuels to those markets because of this pipeline investment. In 1994, the $250 million mid-plant refining complex was completed with a capacity to process 150,000 barrels of crude oil per day. In 1995, Koch acquired Kerr McGee Corporation's Southwestern Refinery located on Nueces Bay Blvd. This facility today is Flint Hills Resources' East Plant and the Suntide facility is the West Plant. Both sites are operated as one refining and chemicals complex because of construction of a state-of-the-art Central Control Center and pipelines that connect both facilities.