Petroleum refining in the United Kingdom

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Petroleum refining in the United Kingdom produced around 51.45 million tonnes of petroleum products in 2023, down 16% from 2015 and 32% from 2011. [1] There are four major and one minor petroleum refinery in the downstream sector of the UK oil industry. [2]

Contents

Total, operational refining capacity 1,222,800 barrels per day, around 58 million tonnes per year.

History

In 1902, there were four petroleum refineries in London that held a licence to import oil in barges along the River Thames, [9] including S. Bowley and Son. There was small-scale oil refining along the Lower Thames estuary in 1914. [10] Refining capacity increased during the inter-war period. By 1938 there were 11 oil refineries in the UK. [10] [11]

UK oil refineries 1938
CompanyPlantYear completedCapacity in 1937/8, tonnes per year
Esso Petroleum Co LtdFawley, Hampshire1921700,000
ShellStanlow, Cheshire1924750,000
Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co/ Shell UK LtdShell Haven, Essex1916800,000
London and Thames Haven Oil Wharves LtdShell Haven, Essex1921400,000
Cory Brothers LtdCoryton, Essex1921250,000
Shell UK LtdArdrossan, South Ayrshire1928225,000
Anglo-Iranian Oil CoLlandarcy, Neath Port Talbot1921360,000
Anglo-Iranian Oil CoGrangemouth, Falkirk1924360,000
Berry Wiggins & Co LtdKingsnorth, Kent193070,000
Burmah Oil Trading LtdEllesmere Port, Cheshire1934100,000
William Briggs & Sons LtdDundee193535,000

In 1937/8 total refining oil capacity in the UK was 4.21 million tonnes per year, by 1954 this had increased to 26.64 million tonnes. [12]

In the post-Second World War period several of the existing refineries were expanded and 3 new major oil refineries were built. [10] [11]

New major post-war oil refineries
CompanyPlantYear completedCapacity in 1955, tonnes per year
Shell UK LtdHeysham, Lancashire19481,800,000
BP Refinery LtdIsle of Grain, Kent19534,600,000
Vacuum oil Co/Mobil Oil Co LtdCoryton, Essex19531,000,000

In 1964 the following refineries were operating or being constructed or planned. [13]

Coastal Oil Refineries in Great Britain 1964
RefineryAcreageCompanyCapacity (1,000 tons)Terminal locationTanker size (1,000 dead weight tons)
Shell Haven1,000Shell8,900Shell Haven, Thames Estuary80
Coryton300Mobil2,400Coryton, Thames Estuary53
Isle of Gain / BP Kent1,300BP9,500Isle of Grain, Medway50
Kingsnorth–Berry Wiggins195Medway
Fawley1,000Esso11,500Southampton Water100
Llandarcy900BP5,500Angle Bay100
Milford Haven–Esso4,800Swansea20
Stanlow2,000Shell10,400Milford Haven100
Ellesmere Port100Lobitos400Stanlow, Manchester Ship Canal15
Heysham124Shell2,000Heysham22
Ardrossan30Shell180Ardrossan14
Dundee–William Briggs60Dundee15
Grangemouth400BP3,250Finnart, Loch Long

Grangemouth, Forth

100

16

Pumpherston–BP180None
New refineries under construction or planned
North Tees–ICI146Tees–
Milford Haven924Regent5,000Milford Haven100
Teesport300Shell4,000Tees63

By 1973 the following refineries were in operation. [11]

UK oil refineries 1973
CompanyPlantYear completedCapacity in 1973, thousand tonnes per year
Esso Petroleum Co LtdFawley refinery, Hampshire192119,500
Esso Petroleum Co Ltd Milford Haven refinery, Pembrokeshire 19606,300
Shell UK LtdStanlow refinery, Cheshire192410,750
Shell UK Ltd Shell Haven refinery, Essex 191610,000
Shell UK LtdTeesport refinery, Teesside19686,000
Shell UK Ltd Heysham refinery, Lancashire19482,200
Shell UK LtdArdrossan refinery, South Ayrshire1928200
BP Refinery Ltd Isle of Grain refinery, Kent 195310,900
BP Refinery Ltd Llandarcy refinery, Neath Port Talbot 19218,300
BP Refinery LtdGrangemouth refinery, Falkirk19248,800
BP Refinery LtdBelfast refinery19641,500
Mobil Oil Co Ltd Coryton refinery, Essex 19537,000
Lindsey Oil Refinery Ltd Killingholme, North Lincolnshire19698,400
Texaco Refining Co LtdPembroke refinery, Pembrokeshire19647,000
Phillips-Imperial Petroleum Ltd Billingham refinery, Teesside 19635,000
AmocoMilford Haven refinery, Pembrokeshire19734,000
Conoco LtdSouth Killingholme refinery, Lincolnshire19694,000
Gulf Oil Refining Ltd Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire 19685,000
Philmac Oils LtdEastham refinery, Cheshire1966400
Berry Wiggins & Co LtdKingsnorth refinery, Kent1930285
Burmah Oil Trading LtdEllesmere Port refinery, Cheshire19341,500
William Briggs & Sons LtdDundee refinery193585
CarlessHarwich refinery, Essex1964

In 1973, with an anticipated increase in consumption and the projected start of oil production from the UK North Sea, the following new refineries were being planned or constructed. [11]

UK planned new refineries 1973
CompanyPlantCapacity, thousand tonnes per yearPlanned completion
ENI/MurcoCanvey Island, Essex [14] 4,0001977
Occidental Canvey Island, Essex [14] 6,000Mid 1975
Burmah-TotalCliffe, Kent12,000No date
ChevronHunterston, Scotland7,000No date
ORSIHunterston, Scotland24,000No date
Berry WigginsKingsnorth, Kent5,0001978
AmocoMilford Haven, Pembrokeshire4,000Late 1973
National Bulk CarriersNigg Bay, Cromarty FirthNot knownNo date
Milford ArgosyShetland Islands15,000No date

Following the oil crisis of 1973-4 refining capacity, and the number of oil refineries, was reduced, and many planned refineries were discontinued. In 1976 there were 17 oil refineries in the UK. [15] By 2000 there were 12 refineries namely: [15]

Coryton Oil Refinery Coryton Oil Refinery - geograph.org.uk - 588369.jpg
Coryton Oil Refinery

Further oil company re-organisations and take-overs, and reductions in demand, led to further refinery closures. By 2019 there were 6 major and one smaller oil refineries in the UK.

Timeline of UK refinery closures

A timeline of the closure of UK oil refineries is summarised in  the following table. Adapted from Fuel Oil News. [16]

Closed refineries
DecadeOwner or operatorName or location
1970sShellHeysham
1980sBPBelfast
Burmah, EssarStanlow
BurmahEllesmere Port
EssoMilford Haven
BPIsle of Grain (Kent)
BPLlandarcy
ShellTeesport
1990sGulfMilford Haven
ShellShellhaven
2000sPhillipsTeesside
2010sMobil, BP, PetroplusCoryton
PetroplusNorth Tees, Cleveland
NynasDundee
ShellEarlham
Amoco, Elf, Total, MurcoMilford Haven
2020sBP, PetroineosGrangemouth [17] [18]
Prax Lindsey Oil Refinery, North Killingholme [19] [20] [21]

Organisations

Statistics for petroleum refining in the UK were formerly gathered by the UK Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA), on Chancery Lane in London, and the former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The Institute of Petroleum merged with the Institute of Energy to form the Energy Institute in 2003. [22] The modern-day institute is headquartered in Marylebone, London. Also nearby is the World Petroleum Council (WPC), known for its four-yearly World Petroleum Congresses.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Fuels Industry UK Fuel Statistics 2024".
  2. 1 2 "Fuels Industry UK Refining capacity 2023" . Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  3. ↑ "Phillips 66 Humber Refinery" . Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  4. ↑ "Essar Stanlow Refinery" . Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  5. ↑ "Pembroke Refinery" . Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  6. ↑ "Fawley Refinery" . Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  7. ↑ "Haltermann Carless" . Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  8. ↑ "Energy Global 50 years of Harwich refinery" . Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  9. ↑ "Carriage of Motor Spirit on the Thames". The Motor-Car Journal. 20 December 1902.
  10. 1 2 3 Cracknell, B.E. (April 1952). "The Petroleum Industry of the Lower Thames and Medway". Geography. 37 (2): 79–88.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Vielvoye, Roger (19 November 1973). "Massive build-up of oil refining capacity". The Times.
  12. ↑ Luckas, M.R. (April 1965). "Recent Developments in the United Kingdom Oil Industry". Geography. 50 (2): 152–160.
  13. ↑ XXth International Geographical Congress 1964 (July 1964). "Coastal Conservation in Great Britain". Geography. 49 (3): 314–22. JSTOR   40566385.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. 1 2 Murray, Stephen (2017). "A history of the oil, gas and petrochemical industries on Canvey Island". Essex Archaeology and History. 8: 114–27.
  15. 1 2 Institute of Petroleum (2000). Inside an Industry: Coryton Oil Refinery. London: Institute of Petroleum. p. 3. ISBN   0852932901.
  16. ↑ Fuel Oil News. "The UK's refineries: past present and future" . Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  17. ↑ "Scotland's only refinery officially ends operations". Oil and Gas Journal. 2 May 2025.
  18. ↑ "Grangeouth Refinery" . Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  19. ↑ "Prax Lindsey Refinery" . Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  20. ↑ Total (27 July 2020). "Total Sells the Lindsey Refinery".
  21. ↑ Harratt, Stuart (21 July 2025). "Oil refinery to shut after no buyer found".
  22. ↑ About Us. Energy Institute. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
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