Mexico’s state oil company Pemex has initiated a sweeping maintenance campaign at its Deer Park refinery in Texas, shutting down several key conversion units under a plan dubbed the “Big Block Turnaround.” According to sources close to operations, the overhaul affects the DU-2 crude distillation unit (270,000 bpd)—the plant’s primary feedstock splitter—alongside its 120,000 bpd FCCU (fluid catalytic cracker), 70,000 bpd hydrocracking unit, and the 92,000 bpd coker. The downtime is expected to last around 60 days.

A smaller DU-1 unit (70,000 bpd) will remain online, allowing limited crude processing to continue. But because many downstream units rely on DU-2’s output, the shutdown is likely to create ripple effects in gasoline, diesel, and other product availability in the region. The timing is critical: as seasonal demand intensifies and global supply tightens, prolonged disruptions in U.S. refining hubs raise pressure on margins and spot markets.