The World’s Top 10 Super Refineries
A shutdown and turnaround is the most important period in the lifespan of an oil refinery. If
the TAR plan is well-executed, then thousands of man hours and potentially millions of
dollars can be saved. If it goes badly, then there is a real potential for both monetary and
physical disaster.
In this article, Oil & Gas iQ’s Asdza Nadleehe takes a look at the new breed of “super
refinery” that is becoming more prevalent across the world.
1. Jamnagar Refinery
The Jamnagar Refinery Complex located in the Jamnagar Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is by
far the largest oil refinery in on Earth and the de facto petroleum hub of the world.
With 1.24 million barrels per day of nominal crude processing capacity, the Jamnagar
Complex outputs 1.6% of global capacity and one third of India’s total oil consumption.
Location - Jamnagar, Gujarat, India
Owner/Operator - Reliance Industries Limited
Barrels per Day - 1,240,000
2. Paraguaná Refinery Complex
The Paraguaná Refinery Complex in North-western Venezuela was created as a result of the
amalgamation of three extant refineries: Amuay, Bajo Grande and Cardón.
The complex currently holds 71% of the refining capacity of the oil-rich South American
nation.
Location – Paraguaná, Falcón, Venezuela
Owner/Operator - Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA)
Capacity - undisclosed
3. SK Energy Ulsan Refinery Complex
Opened in 1964, the Ulsan complex is the largest in South Korea and the second largest in
Asia, housing 16 million barrels of oil in 34 large-scale crude oil storage tanks and producing
LPG, Gasoline, Diesel, Jet Fuel and Asphalt for the foreign and domestic markets.
Location - Ulsan, South Korea
Owner/Operator - SK Energy
Capacity: 40.2 million tons/annum
Barrels per Day - 850,000
4. GS-Caltex Yeosu Refinery
South Korea’s second biggest refinery and Asia’s third, the GS-Caltex Yeosu Complex is home
to the world's largest vacuum distillation unit, completed in 2007 at a cost of $1.5 billion,
Location - Yeosu, South Korea
Owner/Operator - GS-Caltex (50% Chevron/ 50% GS Holdings)
Capacity: 40 million tons/annum
Barrels per Day - 730,000
5. S Oil Ulsan Refinery
S Oil’s Ulsan refinery complex is the South Korea’s third largest refinery, and the second
largest refining complex in Ulsan itself. The $1.2 billion “Onsan Refinery Expansion Project”
was completed in 2011, equipping the plant with an 89,000 bpd condensate splitter and
petrochemical plants.
Location - Ulsan, South Korea
Owner/Operator - S Oil (Saudi Aramco and Hanjin Group)
Capacity: 33,5 million tons/annum
Barrels per Day - 669,000
6. Exxon Mobil Singapore Refinery
Coming on stream as the Jurong refinery in 1965, the complex has undergone several
upgrades under the aegis of Mobil and Exxon Mobil, including the plan to construct a diesel
hydrotreater at the complex, increasing the refinery’s production capacity of ultra low
sulphur diesel (ULSD) fuel.
Location – Jurong Island, Singapore
Owner/Operator – Exxon Mobil
Capacity: 30 million tons/annum
Barrels per Day - 605,000
7. Baytown Refinery
Opened in 1920, Exxon’s Baytown refinery is the largest in the United States, the second
largest in the Western hemisphere and also Exxon’s second largest facility after its
Singapore complex. The company recently completed a project to install Ultra-low-sulphur
diesel (ULSD) units across 3 US refineries in the US at a cost of $1 billion.
Location – Baytown, Texas, USA
Owner/Operator – Exxon Mobil
Capacity: 28.6 million tons/annum
Barrels per Day - 572,500
8. Ras Tanura Refinery
Ras Tanura is Saudi Aramco’s largest refinery and the biggest in the Middle East. The
complex processes both crude oil and gas condensates and has an natural gas liquids (NGL)
processing facility and a crude stabilisation facility.
Location – Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia
Owner/Operator – Saudi Aramco
Capacity: 27.5 million tons/annum
Barrels per Day - 550,000
9. Baton Rouge Refinery
Located in the capital city of Louisiana State, the Baton Rouge refinery is the second largest
refinery in the United States and produces a wide range of petrochemical derivatives from
motor and aviation fuel to petroleum coke and waxes.
Location – Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Owner/Operator – Exxon Mobil
Capacity: 25.0 million tons/annum
Barrels per Day - 503,000
10. – BP Texas City
The British super major’s largest refining complex and only entry in this top 10, Texas City is
the third largest refinery in the USA and one of the most versatile, processing up to 54
different types of crude oil from oil over the world.
Location – Texas City, Texas, USA
Owner/Operator – BP
Capacity: 23.0 million tons/annum
Barrels per Day - 467,720
Oil & Gas IQ’s Shutdowns & Turnarounds 2013 will take place from 18 - 20 February
2013 in Aberdeen, Scotland. For further information please visit
[Link], call +44 (0)207 036 1300 or email
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