Delta: More Crude Oil to Trainer Refinery

The contract will supply about one-third of the crude refined daily at the former ConocoPhillips refinery, which Delta bought

July 22--Delta Air Lines' subsidiary Monroe Energy L.L.C. has signed a five-year agreement with a Texas-based company, Bridger L.L.C., to receive 65,000 barrels of domestic crude a day at its oil refinery in Trainer, Delaware County.

The contract will supply about one-third of the crude refined daily at the former ConocoPhillips refinery, which Delta bought in 2012.

The Trainer refinery supplies Delta's Northeast operations with jet fuel, the largest and most volatile expense for airlines.

The lower-cost domestic crude from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota replaces more expensive grades from overseas, Delta said. "By combining this transaction with our other sources of domestic crude supply, we expect to meet our goal of a minimum of 70,000 barrels per day of domestic crude sourcing at the refinery," said Graeme J. Burnett, Delta's senior vice president for fuel optimization.

Delta is scheduled to report second-quarter earnings Wednesday.

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