The Catlettsburg Refinery is the 31st largest American oil refinery. It is located in extreme northeastern Kentucky, at the intersection of Interstate 64 and U.S. Route 23 just outside the city of Catlettsburg, Kentucky, near the cities of Ashland, Kentucky and Huntington, West Virginia. The facility was built in 1922 and purchased in 1924 by the Ashland Refining Company. The refinery now occupies a 650-acre (260 ha) plus site, producing more than 242,000 barrels per day (38,500 m³/d), and employing around 1,600 employees and contractors. Its location on the west bank of the Big Sandy River, several miles from the Ohio River, allows it to ship products by barge as well as pipeline.