A project planned for Uintah County is being called a potential “game changer” for the local oil and gas industry and things are in order for the plans to happen. Current Director of the 7 County Infrastructure Coalition and former Uintah County Commissioner Mike McKee provided an update on the Uintah Advantage upgrader project that is expected to be under construction in about a year from now. An upgrader is much like a refinery and has the potential to level the playing field so Basin oil is worth as much as the national market. “We believe [Uintah Advantage] will offer a price that gets rid of the discount,” says McKee. “That is a game changer for the Basin. The bottom line is if they are able to move forward without a discount on [Uintah Basin] oil, that changes everything.” 1000 jobs are anticipated during the peak of construction and once complete the upgrader will staff around 150 high paying full time jobs. The anticipated 30 month construction period is expected to begin in the 1st quarter of 2018. Actual startup of the operation is expected in the 4th quarter of 2020. The project’s minor source air permit has already been approved and the zoning is already in place for its location on Leland Bench on private property.
