Matrix wins FEED contract for storage tank farm at America’s first major new refinery in nearly 50 years

Matrix has been selected by America First Refining (AFR) to carry out front-end engineering and design work on the storage tank farm for what would be the first major new refinery built in the United States in nearly 50 years.

The FEED contract, awarded to Matrix, covers critical infrastructure designed to support the safe movement and storage of feedstocks and refined products at the planned AFR facility, which is expected to process approximately 60 million barrels per year of domestic crude.

Matrix awarded FEED contract for AFR storage tank farm

AFR picking Matrix to lead front-end engineering and design on the storage tank farm is a concrete step forward for a project that’s drawn significant industry attention. FEED is the pre-construction phase where scope, cost estimates, and technical specs get defined — the blueprint work that has to happen before any final investment decision can be made.

The contract covers infrastructure that AFR describes as essential to day-to-day operations, supporting the movement and storage of feedstocks and refined products.

Matrix President and CEO Shawn P. Payne confirmed the award publicly, framing it as a natural fit. “We are proud to have been selected by America First Refining for this critical step in advancing this landmark project, which draws on our expertise in storage terminals and supports our commitment to building the foundation for America’s energy future,” Payne said. Delivering essential infrastructure, he added, is central to “powering progress and resilience across the industry.”

That puts Matrix right at the center of one of the most closely watched energy infrastructure projects in the country.

Why the storage tank farm is central to the refinery’s design

It’s easy to focus on the refinery itself — the processing units, the capacity numbers, the headline ambitions. The storage tank farm, though, is the unglamorous infrastructure that makes any refinery actually work day to day.

At the AFR facility, the tank farm is described as critical infrastructure supporting the refinery’s broader operations. Its core job is ensuring the safe, reliable movement and storage of feedstocks coming in and refined products going out. Without that foundation, processing capacity doesn’t mean much. The infrastructure also carries a wider strategic purpose: according to AFR, the tank farm is meant to support the production of cleaner fuels while strengthening America’s energy supply chain — a dual mandate that reflects how large-scale energy projects increasingly need to position themselves.

Matrix’s expertise in storage terminals was explicitly cited as a factor in their selection, and the technical complexity of this component shouldn’t be underestimated.

AFR refinery: Scale, capacity, and national significance

The numbers behind the AFR project are hard to ignore. The facility is expected to process approximately 60 million barrels per year of domestic crude — a throughput figure that shows just how big AFR is swinging here.

More striking than the capacity is the historical context. If completed, this would be the first major new refinery built in the United States in more than 50 years. That’s not a minor footnote — it reflects decades of regulatory complexity, capital intensity, and shifting energy economics that have made greenfield refinery construction in the US essentially nonexistent since the 1970s.

AFR Founder and Chairman John Calce has been vocal about assembling the right team for a project this size. On the Matrix announcement, he said: “We are proud to welcome Matrix as another world-class partner helping bring this historic project to life.” He described the ongoing effort as building “the team and infrastructure needed to build the first new major US refinery in more than 50 years, strengthen America’s energy independence, and reinforce our nation’s energy leadership.” The language is ambitious, but the project’s scale gives it some grounding.

Context: US refining capacity and energy independence

The last time a major refinery was built in the United States, the energy landscape looked completely different. The 1970s oil shocks hadn’t fully played out, and the regulatory environment that would later make large-scale refinery construction so difficult was still taking shape. Since then, the US has expanded refining capacity mainly through upgrades and expansions at existing facilities — not by building new ones from scratch.

That backdrop makes the AFR project genuinely unusual, regardless of where you stand on the energy policy questions it raises. Its backers frame it explicitly as a vehicle for reinforcing US energy independence and building domestic supply resilience — arguments that carry real weight during a period of ongoing concern about supply chain vulnerabilities. Whether or not you share the framing, the engineering milestones being hit are real.

The FEED phase Matrix is now leading is where ambition meets engineering reality. High-level plans get translated into detailed technical specs, cost models, and constructability assessments. Completing FEED successfully is what lets a project move toward a final investment decision with confidence.

Real storage terminal expertise

Matrix has been awarded the FEED contract for the storage tank farm at America First Refining’s planned US refinery — a facility projected to process around 60 million barrels per year of domestic crude. The contract covers infrastructure that AFR describes as essential to day-to-day operations, supporting the movement and storage of feedstocks and refined products. Matrix’s selection was confirmed by CEO Shawn P. Payne, who highlighted the company’s storage terminal expertise, while AFR Chairman John Calce called Matrix a “world-class partner” in building out the project team. If completed, the AFR refinery would be the first major new refinery built in the US in more than 50 years — which makes each engineering contract awarded a real marker of progress toward that goal.

Kelly Lippke

Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.