Fawley Refinery is an oil refinery located at Fawley, Hampshire, England. The refinery is owned by Esso Petroleum Company Limited, a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation, which acquired the site in 1925. Situated on Southampton Water, it was rebuilt and extended in 1951 and is now the largest oil refinery in the United Kingdom, and one of the most complex refineries in Europe. With a capacity of 270,000 oilbbl per day, Fawley provides 20 per cent of the UK's refinery capacity. Over 2,500 people are employed at the site.[1]
History
The refinery was established in 1921 by the Atlantic, Gulf and West Indies Oil Company on 270 ha of land.[2] The site was chosen because a large amount of land was available for development, and the area was not heavily populated, and because of the position on Southampton Water.[3] This provided access to the large amount of water used in the refining process, and also made it possible for crude oil to be brought to the site in ocean tankers by sea.