Washington (Platts)--29Oct2012/559 pm EDT/2159 GMT

The US Department of Energy said Monday that 26% of the Northeast's 1.17 million b/d of petroleum refining capacity is shut and the remaining four plants are running at reduced rates while Hurricane Sandy approaches the region.

The list of refiners that have cut production includes Monroe Energy's 185,000 b/d Trainer plant near Philadelphia. The plant ran at normal rates all morning as storm bands hundreds of miles from Sandy's core dumped rain.

A spokesman for Monroe owner Delta Air Lines did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.

DOE's report says 308,000 b/d in New Jersey refining capacity is offline: Phillips 66's Linden oil refinery and Hess' Port Reading plant that processes gas oils into petroleum products.

Four refineries with a total of 862,200 b/d of capacity have lowered production because of Sandy, DOE said.

In order of capacity, they are: Philadelphia Energy Solutions' 335,000 b/d Philadelphia plant; Monroe Energy's 185,000 b/d Trainer refinery; PBF's 182,200 b/d Delaware City, Delaware, plant; and PBF's 160,000 b/d Paulsboro, New Jersey, facility.

--Meghan Gordon, meghan_gordon@platts.com
--Edited by Jason Lindquist, jason_lindquist@platts.com

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