Full List of All Refineries Operating in the UK & Their Locations

This article will analyze the complete list of refineries in the UK and their locations.

Its refining infrastructure, located along the UK coast, is vital to the country’s energy security.

An oil refinery is an industrial plant that transforms or refines crude oil into different usable petroleum products. These petroleum products include:

• Gasoline: High-quality petrol for vehicles.
• Diesel: Fuel for commercial vehicles and transportation.
• Aviation Fuel: Jet fuel for airlines.
• Heating Oil: Fuel for residential and commercial heating systems.
• Petrochemical Feedstocks: Raw materials for chemical manufacturing

These petroleum products are also used for transportation, heating, and generating electricity, as well as feedstock for making chemicals.

Complete List of All Refineries Operating in the UK

There are six major oil refineries in the UK. The refinery capacity of oil in the UK is about 1.2 million barrels per day.

The six oil refineries of the UK produce about 400,000 barrels of gasoline daily, of which 30% is shipped to other European countries.

Below is the whole list of refineries in the UK.

Fawley Refinery

• Location: Fawley, Hampshire, England
• Commission Date: 1951
• Operator: ExxonMobil Corporation
• Capacity: 270,000 barrels daily, 20% of the UK’s total refining capacity.
• Products:
  • Gasoline: fuels vehicles across Southern England.
  • Diesel: For the UK’s agricultural, industrial, and transportation sectors.
  • Aviation Fuel & Jet Fuel: Jet fuel to major airports in the UK, such as London Heathrow and Gatwick.
  • Fuel Oil: Power generation, heating, industrial use
  • Propane & LPG: Cooking, Agriculture, industrial applications & heating
  • Others: kerosene, heating oil, bitumen, and lubricants.
• Crude Sources:
  • Global Imports: the North Sea, the Middle East, America, and West Africa. The crude feedstock arrives at the refinery via large oil tankers through its deep-water jetty on Southampton Water.
• Distribution:
  • Pipelines: Fawley is connected to the UK’s 700 km national pipeline network, which supplies refined fuel to Greater London, Heathrow, and Gatwick airports and other parts of the country.
  • Road Transport: Tanker trucks supply retail fuel stations and industrial customers.
  • Sea Exports: The refinery’s deep-water jetty enables the export of refined products to international markets.

Fawley is the largest refinery in the UK. With a capacity of 270,000 barrels, it provides 20% of the UK’s refinery capacity. Located on Southampton Water, Fawley’s deep-water port allows for the imports of crude oil and exports of refined products worldwide. Besides fuel, Fawley is a significant producer of chemical feedstocks, vital for the petrochemical industry. Fawley’s petrochemical complex produces about 750,000 chemical products yearly. They include propane, butane, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), and base oils. These products are used to manufacture plastics, resins, and other materials critical for consumer goods and industrial applications.

Stanlow Refinery

• Location: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England
• Commission Date: 1924
• Operator: Essar Oil (UK) Ltd
• Capacity: 210,000 bpd
• Products: diesel, petrol, jet fuel, and various petrochemicals.
  • Gasoline: fuels vehicles across North West England, Scotland, and Wales.
  • Diesel: For the UK’s agricultural, industrial, and transportation sectors.
  • Aviation Fuel & Jet Fuel: Jet fuel to major airports in the UK.
  • Petrochemical feedstocks: Plastics, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, and solvent production.
• Crude Oil Sources:
  • Local crude from several UK offshore oil fields.
  • International Imports: Imports from the North Sea, West Africa, the Middle East, and North America.
• Distribution:
  • Pipelines: The refinery is connected to a network of pipelines that moves refined fuels to major cities and airports in North West England.
  • Road Transport: Tanker trucks supply retail fuel stations and industrial customers.

Stanlow Refinery is another refinery operating in the UK. It is the 2nd largest refinery in the UK. Thus, the refinery plays a significant role in the UK’s fuel supply, providing 16% of all road transport fuels. In addition, Stanlow supplies about 20% of jet fuel used in UK airports. It receives its crude supply through a 24 km-long pipeline from the Tranmere oil base near Mersey. In addition, the refinery processes crude oil from the North Sea, the Mediterranean, and West Africa. Also, its chemical-producing plants produce polymer, propylene, and other products.

Grangemouth Refinery

• Location: Firth of Forth in Grangemouth, Scotland’s east coast
• Commission Date: 1924
• Operator: Ineos & PetroChina
• Capacity: 210,000 barrels per day
• Products: 
  • Gasoline: fuels vehicles across Scotland & Northern England.
  • Diesel: For the UK’s agricultural, industrial, and transportation sectors.
  • Jet Fuel: Jet fuel is supplied to major airports in Scotland.
  • Fuel Oil: Power generation, marine fuel, industrial applications, heating.
  • Kerosene: Aviation fuel, heating & industrial applications.
  • Naptha: feedstock for producing petrochemicals for making plastics, rubber, etc.
  • Petrochemical feedstocks: Plastics, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, and solvent production.
• Crude Sources:
  • North Sea Crude: North Sea oil-producing fields.
  • International Imports: West Africa, the Middle East.
• Distribution:
  • Road Transport: Tanker trucks supply retail fuel stations and industrial customers across Scotland and Northern England.
  • Pipeline System: Grangemouth is connected to the Forties Pipeline System, which delivers crude oil from North Sea fields to Grangemouth and distributes products across Scotland and Northern England via pipelines.
  • Sea Transport: The refinery’s location on the Firth of Forth allows it to ship products to other parts of the UK and international markets.

As one of the largest oil refineries in the UK, the refinery provides fuel to Scotland and Northern England. The site provides aviation fuel for Scotland’s major airports, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Prestwick. In addition, the refinery provides around 70% of Scotland’s refined oil needs. Its location near the Firth of Forth positions the refinery advantageously for local and international distribution, facilitating crude oil import and refined fuel exports to global markets. Furthermore, Grangemouth is also home to a large petrochemical facility, which produces vital chemicals like ethylene and propylene.

Humber Refinery

• Location: South Killingholme, North Lincolnshire
• Commission Date: 1969
• Capacity: 221,000 barrels per day
• Operator: Phillips 66
• Products:
  • Petroleum products: Gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and jet fuel.
  • Low-sulphur fuels: Aviation, power generation, transportation.
  • Petroleum Coke: Component in manufacturing lithium-ion batteries.
  • Propylene: Used in making plastics and various chemicals.
  • Sulphur: For industrial uses.
• Crude Sources: 
  • North Sea: North Sea oil fields.
  • International Imports: the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, & the UAE) and West Africa (Nigeria & Angola).
• Distribution:
  • Pipelines: Supplies refined through an extensive pipeline network to strategic UK locations, including cities, airports and industrial hubs in North East England.
  • Shipping: With its proximity to the Humber Estuary, the refinery uses enormous oil tankers to export refined products, mainly to Europe and other international markets.
  • Road Transport: Delivers products locally by truck to deliver gasoline to petrol stations, commercial distributors, and local industries.

The Humber Refinery is one of the largest and most advanced oil refineries in the UK & Europe. Being close to the Humber Estuary provides excellent connectivity to North Sea oil fields and global shipping routes. Thus, enabling the export of refined products to international markets. This refinery in the UK refines crude oil mainly from the North Sea via Tetney Oil Terminal. Over 70% of refined oil products are for the UK market. The rest is for Continental Europe and the United States.

Pembroke Refinery

• Location: Rhoscrowther, Pembrokeshire, South West Wales
• Capacity: 270,000 barrels per day
• Commission Date: 1964
• Operator: Valero
• Products: 
  • Gasoline: fuels vehicles across Wales and Southern England.
  • Diesel: For the UK’s agricultural, industrial, and transportation sectors.
  • Jet Fuel: Jet fuel to major airports in Wales & Southern England.
  • Fuel Oil: Power generation, marine fuel, industrial applications, heating.
  • Kerosene: Aviation fuel, heating & industrial applications.
  • Petrochemical feedstocks: Plastics, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, and solvent production.
  • LPG: for heating, cooking, and Autogas for transportation.
  • Heating oil: Residential & Commercial heating.
• Crude Source:
  • North Sea Crude: The refinery often uses crude oil from the North Sea oil-producing fields, which is relatively close and logistically easier to transport.
  • Global Sources: In addition to North Sea oil, the refinery sources crude from the United States and West African countries.
• Distribution:
  • Road Transport: Tanker trucks supply retail fuel stations, commercial customers and industries across Wales and Southern England.
  • Pipeline System: The refinery is linked to a pipeline network that transports refined products to various locations across the UK.
  • Sea Transport: The refinery’s location on the coast of Wales allows it to ship products to other parts of the UK and international markets.

Pembroke Refinery is one of the largest oil refineries in the UK. About 44% of the refinery’s products are gasoline, while distillates account for about 40%. Also, the refinery produces about 135,000 barrels of petrol and 82,000 barrels of diesel daily. It also supplies Jet A-1 to Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted airports. The facility has about 140 storage tanks with a total storage capacity of 10.5 million barrels of storage. Located on the coast of Wales, Pembroke benefits from easy access to global shipping routes for imports of crude oil and exports of refined products.

Prax Lindsey

• Location: North Killingholme, North Lincolnshire,
• Capacity: 200,000 barrels per day
• Commission Date: 1968
• Operator: the Prax Group
• Products:
  • Gasoline: fuels vehicles across North East England.
  • Diesel: For the UK’s agricultural, industrial, and transportation sectors.
  • Jet Fuel: Jet fuel to major airports and cities.
  • LPG: for heating, cooking, and Autogas for transportation.
  • Heating oil: Residential & Commercial heating
• Crude Sources:
  • North Sea: crude oil extracted from the North Sea and other UK fields.
  • International Imports: The Middle East (Saudi Arabia and Kuwait), West Africa (Nigeria, Angola), and the United States
• Distribution:
  • Road Transport: Tanker trucks supply retail fuel stations, commercial customers and industries across Wales and Southern England.
  • Pipeline Transport: The refinery is linked to a pipeline network that transports refined products to various locations across Wales & England.
  • Sea Transport: The refinery’s location on the coast of Wales allows it to ship products to other parts of the UK and international markets.

Prax Lindsey plays a critical role in supplying fuels to the northern and midlands regions of the UK. In 2020, Total Energies sold the refinery to the Prax Group. It has comprehensive logistics infrastructure, including rail and road loading facilities and a high-capacity pipeline connection to the Greater London region.