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. There are four major and one minor petroleum refinery in the downstream sector of the UK oil industry.

Phillips 66, Humber Refinery, South Killingholme, 221,000 barrels per day Essar Energy plc., Stanlow refinery, 190,000 barrels per day Valero Energy Corp., Pembroke refinery, 270,000 barrels per day ExxonMobil, Fawley refinery, 270,000 barrels per day Haltermann Carless, Harwich refinery, 0.5 million tonnes per year (10,500 barrels per day) Total operational refining capacity is 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, including S. Bowley and Son. There was small-scale oil refining along the Lower Thames estuary in 1914. Refining capacity increased during the inter-war period. By 1938 there were 11 oil refineries in the UK. +UK oil refineries 1938CompanyPlantYear completedCapacity in 1937/8, tonnes per yearEsso Petroleum Co LtdFawley, Hampshire1951700,000ShellStanlow, Cheshire1924750,000Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co/ Shell UK LtdShell Haven, Essex1916800,000London and Thames Haven Oil Wharves LtdShell Haven, Essex1921400,000Cory Brothers LtdCoryton, Essex1921250,000Shell UK LtdArdrossan, South Ayrshire1928225,000Anglo-Iranian Oil CoLlandarcy, Neath Port Talbot1921360,000Anglo-Iranian Oil CoGrangemouth, Falkirk1924360,000Berry Wiggins & Co LtdKingsnorth, Kent193070,000Burmah Oil Trading LtdEllesmere Port, Cheshire1934100,000William 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.

In the post-Second World War period several of the existing refineries were expanded and 3 new major oil refineries were built. +New major post-war oil refineriesCompanyPlantYear completedCapacity in 1955, tonnes per yearShell UK LtdHeysham, Lancashire19481,800,000BP Refinery LtdIsle of Grain, Kent19534,600,000Vacuum oil Co/Mobil Oil Co LtdCoryton, Essex19531,000,000 In 1964 the following refineries were operating or being constructed or planned. +Coastal Oil Refineries in Great Britain 1964RefineryAcreageCompanyCapacity (1,000 tons)Terminal locationTanker size (1,000 dead weight tons)Shell Haven1,000Shell8,900Shell Haven, Thames Estuary80Coryton300Mobil2,400Coryton, Thames Estuary53Isle of Gain / BP Kent1,300BP9,500Isle of Grain, Medway50Kingsnorth–Berry Wiggins195MedwayFawley1,000Esso11,500Southampton Water100Llandarcy900BP5,500Angle Bay100Milford Haven–Esso4,800Swansea20Stanlow2,000Shell10,400Milford Haven100Ellesmere Port100Lobitos400Stanlow, Manchester Ship Canal15Heysham124Shell2,000Heysham22Ardrossan30Shell180Ardrossan14Dundee–William Briggs60Dundee15Grangemouth400BP3,250Finnart, Loch Long

Grangemouth, Forth100

16Pumpherston–BP180NoneNew refineries under construction or plannedNorth Tees–ICI146Tees–Milford Haven924Regent5,000Milford Haven100Teesport300Shell4,000Tees63 By 1973 the following refineries were in operation. +UK oil refineries 1973CompanyPlantYear completedCapacity in 1973, thousand tonnes per yearEsso Petroleum Co LtdFawley refinery, Hampshire192119,500Esso Petroleum Co LtdMilford Haven refinery, Pembrokeshire19606,300Shell UK LtdStanlow refinery, Cheshire192410,750Shell UK LtdShell Haven refinery, Essex191610,000Shell UK LtdTeesport refinery, Teesside19686,000Shell UK LtdHeysham refinery, Lancashire19482,200Shell UK LtdArdrossan refinery, South Ayrshire1928200BP Refinery LtdIsle of Grain refinery, Kent195310,900BP Refinery LtdLlandarcy refinery, Neath Port Talbot19218,300BP Refinery LtdGrangemouth refinery, Falkirk19248,800BP Refinery LtdBelfast refinery19641,500Mobil Oil Co LtdCoryton refinery, Essex19537,000Lindsey Oil Refinery LtdKillingholme, North Lincolnshire19698,400Texaco Refining Co LtdPembroke refinery, Pembrokeshire19647,000Phillips-Imperial Petroleum LtdBillingham refinery, Teesside19635,000AmocoMilford Haven refinery, Pembrokeshire19734,000Conoco LtdSouth Killingholme refinery, Lincolnshire19694,000Gulf Oil Refining LtdMilford Haven, Pembrokeshire19685,000Philmac Oils LtdEastham refinery, Cheshire1966400Berry Wiggins & Co LtdKingsnorth refinery, Kent1930285Burmah Oil Trading LtdEllesmere Port refinery, Cheshire19341,500William Briggs & Sons LtdDundee refinery193585CarlessHarwich 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. +UK planned new refineries 1973CompanyPlantCapacity, thousand tonnes per yearPlanned completionENI/MurcoCanvey Island, Essex4,0001977OccidentalCanvey Island, Essex6,000Mid 1975Burmah-TotalCliffe, Kent12,000No dateChevronHunterston, Scotland7,000No dateORSIHunterston, Scotland24,000No dateBerry WigginsKingsnorth, Kent5,0001978AmocoMilford Haven, Pembrokeshire4,000Late 1973National Bulk CarriersNigg Bay, Cromarty FirthNot knownNo dateMilford 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. By 2000 there were 12 refineries namely:

BP Amoco, Coryton refinery (later Petroplus, closed 2012) Carless, Harwich refinery (now Haltermann Carless) Phillips 66, Humber refinery Total, Lindsey refinery (Prax from 2021, closed 2025) Petroplus, North Tees refinery (closed 2012) BP Amoco, Grangemouth refinery (PetroIneos from 2004) Nynas, Dundee refinery (closed 2013) Shell/Nynas, Eastham refinery (bitumen) (closed after 2010) 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.

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. +Closed refineriesDecadeOwner or operatorName or location1970sShellHeysham1980sBPBelfastBurmah, EssarStanlowBurmahEllesmere PortEssoMilford HavenBPIsle of Grain (Kent)BPLlandarcyShellTeesport1990sGulfMilford HavenShellShellhaven2000sPhillipsTeesside2010sMobil, BP, PetroplusCorytonPetroplusNorth Tees, ClevelandNynasDundeeShellEarlhamAmoco, Elf, Total, MurcoMilford Haven2020sBP, PetroineosGrangemouthPraxLindsey Oil Refinery, North Killingholme

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.About Us. Energy Institute. Retrieved 12 June 2022. 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 :Category:Oil refineries in the United Kingdom Oil terminals in the United Kingdom

References

External links UKPIA information Europe (and UK) refineries at the Energy Institute