NuStar Energy to Sell San Antonio Refinery to Calumet Specialty Products Partners

NuStar Energy L.P. NS announced today that it has entered into a purchase agreement to sell its San Antonio refinery and related assets, including a terminal in Elmendorf, TX and a pipeline connecting the terminal and refinery, to Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. (“Calumet”) for $100 million, plus closing date inventory estimated to be $15 million. NuStar purchased the refinery and terminal out of bankruptcy in April 2011 for $41 million, and the company has invested approximately $54 million since then on improvements to the refinery. NuStar announced its plans to sell the refinery last month as part of its strategic redirection away from the earnings volatility associated with the margin-based refining business in order to further grow its more stable, fee-based pipeline and storage operations through internal growth projects and acquisitions, especially in the Eagle Ford Shale region and other U.S. shale plays, where NuStar already has extensive pipeline and storage operations. NuStar will use proceeds from the transaction, which is expected to have an effective date of January 1, 2013 and close on January 2, to fund the growth of those fee-based pipeline and storage operations.