ExxonMobil Starts New Unit at Antwerp Refinery to Produce High-Value Transportation Fuels

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  • Delayed coker unit to convert heavy, higher sulfur residual oil into marine gasoil and diesel
  • Will help meet demand for cleaner fuel oil required by the International Maritime Organization
  • Part of initiative to strengthen competitiveness of company’s advantaged facilities in Europe

SPRING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ExxonMobil said today that it has started operations of a new unit at its Antwerp refinery in Belgium to convert heavy, higher-sulfur residual oils into high-value transportation fuels such as marine gasoil and diesel.

The new 50,000 barrel-per-day unit expands the refinery’s capacity to meet demand for cleaner transportation fuels throughout northwest Europe. The company’s investment in the new coker will also help meet anticipated demand for lower-sulfur fuel oil to comply with new standards to be implemented by the International Maritime Organization in 2020.

“Our investment in Antwerp strengthens ExxonMobil’s competitiveness and position as a leading European refiner by expanding the refinery’s product slate and increasing our ability to deliver larger quantities of cleaner, higher-value fuels to European customers,” said Bryan W. Milton, president of ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricants Company. “The $2 billion we have invested in our Antwerp refinery over the last decade has made the facility one of the most modern and efficient in the world.”

Other projects completed in Antwerp include a 130 megawatt cogeneration unit, which leads to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and a diesel hydrotreater, which has increased the refinery’s production capacity for low-sulfur diesel to enable modern diesel engines to achieve lower emissions standards.

The delayed coker is the first of several expansion projects designed to strengthen the competitiveness of ExxonMobil’s advantaged facilities in Europe. The company is currently constructing a new hydrocracker in Rotterdam that will upgrade heavier hydrocarbon byproducts into cleaner, higher-value finished products such as EHCTM Group II base stocks and ultra-low sulfur diesel. ExxonMobil is also considering an expansion project at its Fawley refinery in the United Kingdom that would include a new hydrotreater unit and associated hydrogen plant to increase domestic diesel production and reduce reliance on imported fuel.

About ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading inventory of resources, is one of the largest refiners and marketers of petroleum products, and its chemical company is one of the largest in the world. For more information, visit www.exxonmobil.com or follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/exxonmobil.

About the Antwerp Refinery

The Antwerp refinery as part of ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical BVBA, has a production capacity of approximately 320,000 barrels per day and has been in operation since 1953.

Cautionary Statement: Statements of future events or conditions in this release are forward-looking statements. Actual future results, including project plans, schedules, and capacities, the impact of proprietary technologies, future product demand, and business results could differ materially due to changes in market conditions affecting the oil, gas and petrochemical industries or long-term price levels for oil, gas, refined products and petrochemicals; political or regulatory developments, including the granting of required permits and any changes in environmental laws; the occurrence and duration of economic recessions; the actions of competitors; technical or operating factors; the outcome of commercial negotiations; and other factors discussed under the heading “Factors Affecting Future Results” in the Investors section of our website (www.exxonmobil.com) and in Item 1A of our most recent Form 10-K.

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Source: Exxon Mobil Corporation

Released October 31, 2018