
OIL REFINERIES IN SAN ANTONIO AND BEXAR COUNTY Thomas E. Ewing, Frontera Exploration Consultants SUMMARY At least 16 crude oil refineries have recorded production, although only one remains today, the TSAR on South Presa. Three sites today are Superfund sites, one is an active products terminal, and the others are vacant or covered by development. This paper inventories the known and possible sites, with my best estimate of location and dates that they were active. There were two waves of refinery construction. The first, from 1913-1925, included the Humble, Pioneer, Elliot Jones and Grayburg refineries; much of this wave was based on the development of Somerset oil field in 1915-1920s. The second wave, from the 1929 to the 1950s, included Texaco, Phoenix/Howell, and Monarch as the larger refiners. Most were 'skimming' refineries, but Texaco and Howell added cracking and reforming capabili-ties. Howell's plant, passing through several owners, is the presently active TSAR refinery with a 21,000 barrel/day capacity.