ExxonMobil Corp. is considering a plan to make major upgrades at subsidiary Esso Petroleum Co.’s 270,000-b/d Fawley refinery near Southampton, UK.
Intended to enable the refinery to help meet the UK’s changing fuel demand and reduce the region’s reliance on diesel imports, the multimillion-pound project would involve works designed to allow the manufacturing site to process a wider selection of crude oils, ExxonMobil said.
The project would include installation of a hydrotreating unit as well as a hydrogen plant.
“If this project is approved, it would be a major investment in the site amounting to hundreds of millions of pounds, and a bold statement of confidence in Fawley and its ability to produce high quality fuels for the UK economy,” said Simon Downing, manager of the Fawley refinery.
A final investment decision on the project—which will be based on many factors, including regulatory approvals, market conditions, and economic competitiveness—is due by the end of first-half 2019, ExxonMobil said.
Situated on the western side of Southampton Water, the Fawley refinery—the UK’s largest—features a mile-long marine terminal that annually handles about 2,000 ship movements and 22 million tonnes of crude and other products.
Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].
