{
  "meta": {
    "schema_version": "1.0.0",
    "generated_at": "2026-07-22",
    "purpose": "US Gulf and Florida sulfur nodes for Sulfur Wire facilities directory",
    "notes": "Public USGS and open trade context only. Company Mt/a sulfur lines are rarely disclosed; do not invent plant capacities."
  },
  "facilities": [
    {
      "id": "louisiana-texas-gulf",
      "name": "Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coast recovery cluster",
      "role": "recovered_sulfur_supply_region",
      "region": "US Gulf",
      "notes": "USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries place Louisiana and Texas together near half of US elemental sulfur output in recent years (about 54% in the 2026 summary for 2025). Recovery is dominated by petroleum refineries, with natural-gas processing and other sources secondary. This is a regional production geography, not a single company plant.",
      "estimated_sulfur_mt": {
        "value": "LA+TX ~half of US elemental (USGS)",
        "unit": "share of US output",
        "data_type": "verified_public",
        "note": "USGS MCS 2026: US elemental sulfur production about 7.6 Mt in 2025; Louisiana and Texas about 54%."
      },
      "facilities": [
        {
          "name": "Gulf Coast petroleum refineries (multiple)",
          "location": "Louisiana / Texas",
          "type": "recovery",
          "notes": "Largest US elemental sulfur source class per USGS. Individual refinery sulfur Mt/a rarely published as a clean sales line."
        },
        {
          "name": "Gulf Coast natural-gas processing plants",
          "location": "Louisiana / Texas / inland feed",
          "type": "recovery",
          "notes": "Secondary recovered-sulfur source class in USGS ranking after refineries."
        }
      ],
      "export_channel": "Mix of molten domestic deliveries into industrial and fertilizer consumers, plus dry bulk solid export where forming and load-out exist. Not every Gulf recovery site can stem seaborne granular.",
      "historical_notes_2021_2026": [
        {
          "year": 2021,
          "note": "USGS: February freeze and Hurricanes Ida/Nicholas cut Gulf refining/sulfur mid-year; Canada remained the dominant US elemental import source."
        },
        {
          "year": 2022,
          "note": "Open Argus news: USGC spot dry bulk swung in a greater-than-$440/t range over six months; USGS noted strong Gulf Coast production gains earlier in the year."
        },
        {
          "year": 2023,
          "note": "Open Argus news: USGC dry bulk midpoints soft into mid-year as supply weighed and Brazil outlet constraints limited a key destination."
        },
        {
          "year": 2025,
          "note": "USGS MCS 2026: US elemental production about 7.6 Mt; LA+TX about 54%."
        },
        {
          "year": 2026,
          "note": "Open Argus news: spot Gulf export indications rose far above Tampa molten contracts during Middle East logistics disruption; some producers without solid-export kit stayed molten-domestic dependent."
        }
      ],
      "source_urls": [
        "https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-sulfur.pdf",
        "https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/sulfur-statistics-and-information",
        "https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2851577-tampa-3q-liquid-sulphur-price-hits-record-705-lt",
        "https://sulfurwire.com/hubs/us-gulf"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gulf-dry-bulk-export",
      "name": "US Gulf dry bulk solid export nodes",
      "role": "forming_export_logistics",
      "region": "US Gulf",
      "notes": "Seaborne US Gulf sulfur for export is dry bulk formed solid FOB, distinct from Tampa molten delivered contracts. Solid-export capability varies by site: some Gulf refiners form and load bulk vessels; others lack solid kit and sell molten into the domestic rail/truck market. Brazil has historically been a major destination for US dry bulk sulfur in open trade commentary.",
      "estimated_sulfur_mt": {
        "value": "not disclosed (site-dependent)",
        "unit": "Mt/a",
        "data_type": "industry_context",
        "note": "No single public Mt/a series covers all Gulf solid-export formers. Use USGS US export totals and open news for macro context."
      },
      "facilities": [
        {
          "name": "Gulf Coast solid forming / load-out (site-dependent)",
          "location": "Louisiana / Texas Gulf",
          "type": "forming_export",
          "notes": "Parcel sizes in open market notes often sit in Handymax/Supramax/Panamax bands. Confirm berth and form specs with the operator before fixing."
        }
      ],
      "export_channel": "FOB US Gulf dry bulk to Brazil, Atlantic Americas, and opportunistic long-haul destinations when Middle East supply is disrupted.",
      "historical_notes_2021_2026": [
        {
          "year": 2023,
          "note": "Open Argus: Brazil port maintenance limited a key USGC dry bulk outlet while Gulf supply stayed ample."
        },
        {
          "year": 2026,
          "note": "Open Argus: unusual North/East Africa destinations reported for some Gulf cargoes during Middle East logistics shock."
        }
      ],
      "source_urls": [
        "https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-sulfur.pdf",
        "https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2462791-rising-supply-to-weigh-on-usgc-sulfur-prices",
        "https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2851577-tampa-3q-liquid-sulphur-price-hits-record-705-lt",
        "https://sulfurwire.com/hubs/us-gulf"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tampa-phosphate",
      "name": "Tampa / Central Florida phosphate demand hub",
      "role": "molten_demand_hub",
      "region": "Florida",
      "notes": "Tampa molten sulfur is the public domestic US contract reference for delivered liquid sulfur into the Central Florida phosphate fertilizer complex. It is a demand geography priced in USD per long ton delivered, not a Vancouver-style dry bulk FOB loadport. USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries track the Tampa contract path year by year. Individual phosphate plant sulfur take is not published as a clean public Mt/a series on Sulfur Wire.",
      "estimated_sulfur_mt": {
        "value": "demand hub (contract reference)",
        "unit": "USD/LT DEL",
        "data_type": "verified_public_context",
        "note": "Use USGS MCS Tampa path and Sulfur Wire SR-TAMPA-Q anchors. Convert LT before comparing to MT FOB hubs."
      },
      "facilities": [
        {
          "name": "Central Florida phosphate fertilizer complex",
          "location": "Tampa Bay / Central Florida",
          "type": "molten_consumer",
          "notes": "Molten sulfur feedstock for wet-process phosphoric acid. Operators include major phosphate producers; plant-level sulfur contracts are commercial."
        }
      ],
      "export_channel": "Inbound molten logistics (rail/truck/marine molten) into Florida. Not a Pacific dry bulk export node.",
      "historical_notes_2021_2026": [
        {
          "year": 2021,
          "note": "USGS: Tampa contracts rose from about $69/lt toward the $180s by late year."
        },
        {
          "year": 2022,
          "note": "USGS: Tampa spike to $481/lt in April then collapse into soft H2."
        },
        {
          "year": 2024,
          "note": "USGS MCS 2025: Tampa began near $69/lt and ended Q4 near $116/lt."
        },
        {
          "year": 2025,
          "note": "USGS MCS 2026: Tampa climbed from $116/lt toward $310/lt by early October."
        },
        {
          "year": 2026,
          "note": "Open Argus news: Q3 2026 Tampa liquid contracts settled at a record $705/lt delivered."
        }
      ],
      "source_urls": [
        "https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-sulfur.pdf",
        "https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2025/mcs2025-sulfur.pdf",
        "https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2851577-tampa-3q-liquid-sulphur-price-hits-record-705-lt",
        "https://sulfurwire.com/hubs/tampa",
        "https://sulfurwire.com/glossary/tampa"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "canada-us-molten-rail",
      "name": "Canada to US molten rail corridor",
      "role": "cross_border_molten_logistics",
      "region": "US / Canada",
      "notes": "USGS source tables show Canada as the dominant origin for US elemental sulfur imports in recent windows. Open industry commentary has described large molten southbound flows from Western Canada into US industrial and fertilizer consumers alongside Pacific solid exports via Vancouver. This corridor explains why US Gulf dry bulk FOB and Tampa molten can diverge from Vancouver solid economics.",
      "estimated_sulfur_mt": {
        "value": "dominant share of US elemental imports (USGS)",
        "unit": "import share",
        "data_type": "verified_public",
        "note": "Exact annual Mt varies by USGS table year; cite the MCS chapter rather than a single hardcoded tonne."
      },
      "facilities": [
        {
          "name": "Cross-border molten rail / tank-car logistics",
          "location": "Western Canada to US Midwest / Gulf / industrial sinks",
          "type": "molten_logistics",
          "notes": "UN 2448 heated containment. Distinct from Vancouver formed solid stems."
        }
      ],
      "export_channel": "Molten into US consumers; complements rather than replaces Vancouver dry bulk.",
      "historical_notes_2021_2026": [
        {
          "year": 2025,
          "note": "USGS MCS 2026 continues to frame Canada as a major elemental import source for the US."
        }
      ],
      "source_urls": [
        "https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-sulfur.pdf",
        "https://sulfurwire.com/hubs/us-gulf",
        "https://sulfurwire.com/topics/us-supply-usgs"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lyondellbasell-houston-context",
      "name": "LyondellBasell Houston refinery (sulfur context)",
      "role": "refinery_recovery_example",
      "region": "US Gulf",
      "notes": "Open Argus news (2023) citing EIA data described the LyondellBasell Houston, Texas refinery as typically able to produce nearly 372,000 t/yr of sulfur, on the order of 7% of Texas-based sulfur production in that commentary, because it processes heavier high-sulfur crude. Treat as an attributed industry example of Gulf refinery recovery scale, not a live Sulfur Wire capacity survey. Confirm current operating status with company disclosures; refinery configurations change.",
      "estimated_sulfur_mt": {
        "value": "~0.37 (Argus citing EIA, 2023 context)",
        "unit": "Mt/a class",
        "data_type": "industry_estimate",
        "note": "Open-news attribution only. Not a verified_public plant filing series."
      },
      "facilities": [
        {
          "name": "Houston refinery",
          "location": "Houston, Texas",
          "type": "recovery",
          "notes": "Example of heavy/sour crude slate driving higher sulfur recovery than lighter-slate plants."
        }
      ],
      "export_channel": "Recovered sulfur may move molten domestic or into solid export if site kit allows; site-specific.",
      "historical_notes_2021_2026": [
        {
          "year": 2023,
          "note": "Argus rising-supply piece cited EIA-linked ~372 kt/yr sulfur capability and discussed Houston refining context amid USGC surplus."
        }
      ],
      "source_urls": [
        "https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2462791-rising-supply-to-weigh-on-usgc-sulfur-prices",
        "https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2024/mcs2024-sulfur.pdf",
        "https://sulfurwire.com/hubs/us-gulf"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mosaic-florida-phosphate-context",
      "name": "Mosaic Florida phosphate (sulfur demand context)",
      "role": "phosphate_sulfur_consumer",
      "region": "Florida",
      "notes": "The Mosaic Company operates major phosphate fertilizer assets in Central Florida that consume molten sulfur for wet-process phosphoric acid. Sulfur Wire does not publish a plant-level sulfur Mt/a take; use the Tampa molten contract path (USGS MCS and open news) as the public price reference for this demand geography.",
      "estimated_sulfur_mt": {
        "value": "not disclosed (consumer)",
        "unit": "Mt/a",
        "data_type": "industry_context",
        "note": "Commercial sulfur purchases are not a clean public series on this site."
      },
      "facilities": [
        {
          "name": "Central Florida phosphate operations",
          "location": "Central Florida",
          "type": "molten_consumer",
          "notes": "Tied to Tampa molten delivered contract market rather than Vancouver dry bulk FOB."
        }
      ],
      "export_channel": "Inbound molten sulfur logistics into Florida phosphate.",
      "historical_notes_2021_2026": [
        {
          "year": 2026,
          "note": "Open Argus news: Tampa Q3 2026 molten contracts at record /lt delivered amid global tightness."
        }
      ],
      "source_urls": [
        "https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-sulfur.pdf",
        "https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2851577-tampa-3q-liquid-sulphur-price-hits-record-705-lt",
        "https://sulfurwire.com/hubs/tampa",
        "https://sulfurwire.com/facilities/tampa-phosphate"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cf-industries-florida-context",
      "name": "CF Industries Florida phosphate (sulfur demand context)",
      "role": "phosphate_sulfur_consumer",
      "region": "Florida",
      "notes": "CF Industries is a major nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer producer with Florida phosphate operations historically linked to molten sulfur demand into the Tampa contract region. Plant-level sulfur consumption is not published here as a verified Mt/a series.",
      "estimated_sulfur_mt": {
        "value": "not disclosed (consumer)",
        "unit": "Mt/a",
        "data_type": "industry_context",
        "note": "Use Tampa hub and USGS MCS for public price/path context."
      },
      "facilities": [
        {
          "name": "Florida phosphate operations",
          "location": "Florida",
          "type": "molten_consumer",
          "notes": "Demand-side node for molten sulfur; not a Pacific export former."
        }
      ],
      "export_channel": "Inbound molten; not a dry bulk FOB export hub.",
      "historical_notes_2021_2026": [
        {
          "year": 2025,
          "note": "USGS MCS 2026 documents the Tampa molten contract path through 2025 as the public domestic US liquid reference."
        }
      ],
      "source_urls": [
        "https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-sulfur.pdf",
        "https://sulfurwire.com/hubs/tampa",
        "https://sulfurwire.com/facilities/tampa-phosphate"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "motiva-port-arthur-context",
      "name": "Motiva Port Arthur refining complex (geography context)",
      "role": "refinery_recovery_geography",
      "region": "US Gulf",
      "notes": "Motiva Enterprises Port Arthur, Texas, is among the largest US refining complexes and sits in the Louisiana-Texas Gulf recovery geography that USGS credits with roughly half of US elemental sulfur output. Motiva does not publish a clean public Mt/a elemental sulfur sales line used by Sulfur Wire; treat this page as location context for Gulf Coast recovery and molten/solid logistics, not a capacity survey.",
      "estimated_sulfur_mt": {
        "value": "not disclosed (plant)",
        "unit": "Mt/a",
        "data_type": "industry_context",
        "note": "Use USGS LA+TX share and US elemental totals for macro scale."
      },
      "facilities": [
        {
          "name": "Port Arthur refining complex",
          "location": "Port Arthur, Texas",
          "type": "recovery",
          "notes": "Heavy/sour processing capability historically associated with material sulfur recovery in Gulf refining; site-specific sulfur marketing path varies."
        }
      ],
      "export_channel": "Recovered sulfur may enter molten domestic or solid export channels depending on site kit and contracts.",
      "historical_notes_2021_2026": [
        {
          "year": 2025,
          "note": "USGS MCS 2026: Louisiana and Texas about 54% of US elemental sulfur production (~7.6 Mt US elemental)."
        }
      ],
      "source_urls": [
        "https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-sulfur.pdf",
        "https://sulfurwire.com/facilities/louisiana-texas-gulf",
        "https://sulfurwire.com/hubs/us-gulf"
      ]
    }
  ]
}