Esso Fawley Oil Refinery

 production, chemical industry, oil refinery

 Upload a photo

Established in 1921 by the Atlantic, Gulf and West Indies Oil Company on 270 hectares of land alongside Southampton Water, the Fawley Refinery was laid out and configured to serve as a crude oil import, refining and distribution facility serving much of the British Isles. Initially tasked with supplying the steady stream of oil-fired steamships calling Southampton and Royal Navy warships operating out of Portsmouth, the refinery grew steadily in size and production capability during its first two decades of operation. Purchased by British-Mexican Petroleum in 1923 and subsequently by the Esso-affiliate Anglo-American Oil Company in 1926, the refinery was importing and refining approximately 600,000 tonnes of crude oil per annum (approximately 12,000 barrels per day) by the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.

Used as a storage facility during the war, the refinery was significantly expanded and upgraded by Esso beginning in 1949 with an additional 1,200 hectares of land acquired and modernized refining and storage infrastructure added. With production increased to 157,000 barrels per day following the upgrades, the refinery accounted for approximately one third of UK demand at that time. The addition of an onsite chemical plant in 1958 further increased the capabilities of the refinery and with continued upgrades during the next two decades the facility was eventually capable of refining 19,500,000 tonnes of crude oil per annum in 1973 (approximately 400,000 barrels per day) in 1973.

Today the Fawley Refinery processes around 270,000 barrels of crude oil per day and provides approximately 20% of UK refinery capacity at its current operating levels, and employs roughly 2,300 workers. Equipped with a mile-long marine terminal capable of accommodating vessels up to VLCC size, the facility handles around 2,000 ship movements and processes 22 million tonnes of crude oil and other products every year.

www.exxonmobil.com/UK-English/about_what_refining_fawle...