In the first U.S. refinery expansion since 2012, ExxonMobil announced the start-up of a $2 billion expansion of its facilities in Beaumont, Texas, April 24. The company says the expansion will bring the Beaumont facility’s total capacity to more than 630,000 barrels of crude oil per day – much of which will be supplied from wells in the West Texas Permian Basin.

The additional capacity – equivalent to a medium size refinery in itself -- makes the Beaumont refinery one of the largest in the U.S.

In a Fox News report, analysts predict the project is aimed at boosting the supply of diesel, gasoline and jet fuel in the U.S. and estimate it could provide up to 4 million gallons of additional diesel fuel per day to the nation’s fuel supply. The Department of Energy’s Energy Information Agency (EIA) suggests the increase supply could pressure domestic fuel prices at the pump over the coming year.

ExxonMobil says its operations staff for the new crude and hydrotreater units will include 50 new full-time employees.