* Loss of steam, hydrogen production leads to production cut
* A total of 285,000 bpd in crude distillation out ofproduction (Adds details, background)
HOUSTON, April 24 (Reuters) - Two of three crudedistillation units were out of production on Wednesday at MotivaEnterprises' 600,000 barrel per day Port Arthur,Texas, refinery due to the loss of part of the refinery's steamand hydrogen production over the weekend, said sources familiarwith refinery operations.
The two CDUs account for 285,000 bpd of the plant's crudeoil refining capacity. The refinery's largest CDU, 325,000 bpdVPS-5, has remained in operation since restarting on April 21following a citywide power outage.
A plant located within the refinery that produces part ofthe steam and hydrogen required by the refinery went down overthe weekend, also leading to reductions in gasoline production.
A Motiva representative was not immediately available todiscuss operations at the Port Arthur refinery. Motiva hasdeclined to discuss details of the refinery's return from theApril 14 power outage beyond saying it would take several days.
The two CDUs out of production, 80,000 bpd VPS-2 and 205,000bpd VPS-4, made up the entirety of the refinery's crudedistillation capacity until VPS-5 came into production in 2012following a 5-year, $10-billion expansion of the refinery.
VPS-5 was heavily damaged by a chemical leak in June andremained shut for repairs before restarting in January.
The three crude distillation units do the initial refiningof crude oil coming into the refinery and provide feedstock forall other units. (Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick andDan Grebler)