Contanda Pulls Crude Oil Permit Application, Moves Forward with Cleaner Fuels

HOQUIAM, WA – Contanda announced today it has officially withdrawn its permit application to handle and store crude oil at the company’s Grays Harbor terminal. As announced last week, Contanda will now pursue permits to expand its facility to handle and store a portfolio of cleaner fuels including biodiesel, renewable diesel and ultra-low sulfur diesel in anticipation of increased demand for low-carbon, cleaner fuels.

Since 2009, Contanda has safely operated a state of the art facility to handle bulk liquid storage and logistics at the Port of Grays Harbor. Leveraging LEEN Engineering standards for development, the revised application for eight new storage tanks capable of storing 1.1 million barrels of liquid is in response to customer demand and the strong future across the West Coast for biofuels and commodities such as ultra-low-sulfur diesel as low carbon fuel standards and carbon regulations continue to move forward.

“We heard the community, met with our customers and developed a revised strategy involving the storage of clean products,” said G.R. “Jerry” Cardillo, CEO of Contanda. “With the highest commitment to safety, our neighbors and the environment, we look forward to this potential expansion which will bring jobs, tax revenue and other economic benefits to the community for the long term.”

Grays Harbor’s strategic location and infrastructure are attractive to Contanda and potential customers whose products originate in the Northwest and can travel by rail to the port to be transferred to deep-water marine vessels. The project would create as many as 100 jobs during construction and up to 20 permanent positions when operational.

On Jan. 29, Contanda withdrew its permit application for crude oil and submitted its new application to the City of Hoquiam, which begins the permitting process for cleaner fuels. The company will continue to work closely with the City of Hoquiam and the Washington Department of Ecology, but does not yet have a timeline for the revised project.

About Contanda
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Contanda is a premier provider of storage and logistics services to owners of bulk products in North America. The company has approximately 7.25 million barrels of storage capacity across 16 terminals in North America. The business is focused on growth in the petrochemical and hydrocarbon markets while maintaining a leading market position in the petroleum, chemical, agricultural and steel sectors. More information can be found at www.bwcterminals.com.