Petroleum refining in the United Kingdom

Petroleum refining in the United Kingdom produced around 61 million tonnes of petroleum products in 2015, down 19% from 2011.[1] There are six major and one minor petroleum refinery in the downstream sector of the UK oil industry.[2]

History

Small-scale oil refining began in the United Kingdom in 1914.[12] Refining capacity increased during the inter-war period. By 1938 there were 11 oil refineries in the UK.[12][13]

UK oil refineries 1938
Company Plant Year completed Capacity in 1937/8, tonnes per year
Esso Petroleum Co Ltd Fawley, Hampshire 1921 700,000
Essar Energy Stanlow, Cheshire 1924 750,000
Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co/ Shell UK Ltd Shell Haven, Essex 1916 800,000
London and Thames Haven Oil Wharves Ltd Shell Haven, Essex 1921 400,000
Cory Brothers Ltd Coryton, Essex 1921 250,000
Shell UK Ltd Ardrossan, South Ayrshire 1928 225,000
Anglo-Iranian Oil Co Llandarcy, Neath Port Talbot 1921 360,000
Anglo-Iranian Oil Co Grangemouth, Falkirk 1924 360,000
Berry Wiggins & Co Ltd Kingsnorth, Kent 1930 70,000
Burmah Oil Trading Ltd Ellesmere Port, Cheshire 1934 100,000
William Briggs & Sons Ltd Dundee 1935 35,000

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.[14]

In the post-Second World War period several of the existing refineries were expanded and 3 new major oil refineries were built.[12][13]

New major post-war oil refineries
Company Plant Year completed Capacity in 1955, tonnes per year
Shell UK Ltd Heysham, Lancashire 1948 1,800,000
BP Refinery Ltd Isle of Grain, Kent 1953 4,600,000
Vacuum oil Co/Mobil Oil Co Ltd Coryton, Essex 1953 1,000,000

In 1964 the following refineries were operating or being constructed or planned.[15]

Coastal Oil Refineries in Great Britain 1964
Refinery Acreage Company Capacity (1,000 tons) Terminal location Tanker size (1,000 dead weight tons)
Shell Haven 1,000 Shell 8,900 Shell Haven, Thames Estuary 80
Coryton 300 Mobil 2,400 Coryton, Thames Estuary 53
Isle of Gain 1,300 BP 9,500 Isle of Grain, Medway 50
Kingsnorth – Berry Wiggins 195 Medway
Fawley 1,000 Esso 11,500 Southampton Water 100
Llandarcy 900 BP 5,500 Angle Bay 100
Milford Haven – Esso 4,800 Swansea 20
Stanlow 2,000 Shell 10,400 Milford Haven 100
Ellesmere Port 100 Lobitos 400 Stanlow, Manchester Ship Canal 15
Heysham 124 Shell 2,000 Heysham 22
Ardrossan 30 Shell 180 Ardrossan 14
Dundee – William Briggs 60 Dundee 15
Grangemouth 400 BP 3,250 Finnart, Loch Long

Grangemouth, Forth

 100

16

Pumpherston – BP 180 None
New refineries under construction or planned
North Tees – ICI 146 Tees –
Milford Haven 924 Regent 5,000 Milford Haven 100
Teesport 300 Shell 4,000 Tees 63

By 1973 the following refineries were in operation.[13]

UK oil refineries 1973
Company Plant Year completed Capacity in 1973, thousand tonnes per year
Esso Petroleum Co Ltd Fawley refinery, Hampshire 1921 19,500
Esso Petroleum Co Ltd Milford Haven refinery, Pembrokeshire 1960 6,300
Shell UK Ltd Stanlow refinery, Cheshire 1924 10,750
Shell UK Ltd Shell Haven refinery, Essex 1916 10,000
Shell UK Ltd Teesport refinery, Teesside 1968 6,000
Shell UK Ltd Heysham refinery, Lancashire 1948 2,200
Shell UK Ltd Ardrossan refinery, South Ayrshire 1928 200
BP Refinery Ltd Isle of Grain refinery, Kent 1953 10,900
BP Refinery Ltd Llandarcy refinery, Neath Port Talbot 1921 8,300
BP Refinery Ltd Grangemouth refinery, Falkirk 1924 8,800
BP Refinery Ltd Belfast refinery 1964 1,500
Mobil Oil Co Ltd Coryton refinery, Essex 1953 7,000
Lindsey Oil Refinery Ltd Killingholme, North Lincolnshire 1969 8,400
Texaco Refining Co Ltd Pembroke refinery, Pembrokeshire 1964 7,000
Phillips-Imperial Petroleum Ltd Billingham refinery, Teesside 1963 5,000
Amoco Milford Haven refinery, Pembrokeshire 1973 4,000
Conoco Ltd South Killingholme refinery, Lincolnshire 1969 4,000
Gulf Oil Refining Ltd Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire 1968 5,000
Philmac Oils Ltd Eastham refinery, Cheshire 1966 400
Berry Wiggins & Co Ltd Kingsnorth refinery, Kent 1930 285
Burmah Oil Trading Ltd Ellesmere Port refinery, Cheshire 1934 1,500
William Briggs & Sons Ltd Dundee refinery 1935 85
Carless Harwich refinery, Essex 1964

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.[13]

UK planned new refineries 1973
Company Plant Capacity, thousand tonnes per year Planned completion
ENI/Murco Canvey Island, Essex[16] 4,000 1977
Occidental Canvey Island, Essex[16] 6,000 Mid 1975
Burmah-Total Cliffe, Kent 12,000 No date
Chevron Hunterston, Scotland 7,000 No date
ORSI Hunterston, Scotland 24,000 No date
Berry Wiggins Kingsnorth, Kent 5,000 1978
Amoco Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire 4,000 Late 1973
National Bulk Carriers Nigg Bay, Cromarty Firth Not known No date
Milford Argosy Shetland Islands 15,000 No 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.[17] By 2000 there were 12 refineries namely:[17]

Coryton Oil Refinery
  • BP Amoco, Coryton refinery (later Petroplus, closed 2012)
  • Carless, Harwich refinery (now Haltermann Carless)
  • Phillips 66, Humber refinery
  • Total, Lindsey refinery (Prax from 2021)
  • Petroplus, North Tees refinery (closed 2012)
  • BP Amoco, Grangemouth refinery (PetroIneos from 2004)
  • Nynas, Dundee refinery (closed 2013)
  • Shell/Nynas, Eastham refinery (closed after 2010)[2]
  • Shell Stanlow refinery (Essar Energy from 2011)
  • Amoco, then Murco, Milford Haven refinery (closed 2015)
  • Texaco, Pembroke refinery (Valero from 2011)
  • Esso, Fawley 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.

Organisations

Statistics for petroleum refining in the UK are gathered by the United Kingdom Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA), on Chancery Lane in London, and the recently formed (July 2016) Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The Institute of Petroleum merged with the Institute of Energy to form the Energy Institute in 2003.[18] 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. UKPIA
  2. "UK refining distillation capacity 2018". Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  3. "Phillips 66 Humber Refinery". Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  4. "Total Lindsey Refinery". Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  5. Total (27 July 2020). "Total Sells the Lindsey Refinery".
  6. "Grangeouth Refinery". Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  7. "Essar Stanlow Refinery". Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  8. "Pembroke Refinery". Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  9. "Fawley Refinery". Retrieved 20 Jun 2019.
  10. "Haltermann Carless". Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  11. "Energy Global 50 years of Harwich refinery". Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  12. Cracknell, B.E. (April 1952). "The Petroleum Industry of the Lower Thames and Medway". Geography. 37 (2): 79–88.
  13. Vielvoye, Roger (19 November 1973). "Massive build-up of oil refining capacity". The Times.
  14. Luckas, M.R. (April 1965). "Recent Developments in the United Kingdom Oil Industry". Geography. 50 (2): 152–160.
  15. XXth International Geographical Congress 1964 (July 1964). "Coastal Conservation in Great Britain". Geography. 49 (3): 314–22. JSTOR 40566385.
  16. Murray, Stephen (2017). "A history of the oil, gas and petrochemical industries on Canvey Island". Essex Archaeology and History. 8: 114–27.
  17. Institute of Petroleum (2000). Inside an Industry: Coryton Oil Refinery. London: Institute of Petroleum. p. 3. ISBN 0852932901.
  18. About Us. Energy Institute. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
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