May 20, 2019 [Tank News International] – ExxonMobil has made a final investment decision to expand the Fawley refinery in the United Kingdom to increase production of ultra-low sulphur diesel by almost 45 percent, or 38,000 barrels per day, along with logistics improvements.

“This latest significant investment supports the long-term competitiveness of Fawley, Britain’s largest integrated refinery and petrochemical plant. It also reflects ExxonMobil’s strong and continued presence in the UK,” said Simon Downing, Fawley Refinery manager. “Major investments like this require a stable and supportive policy framework and we will continue to work with the Government to ensure the long term competitiveness of the site.”

The investment will help reduce the need to import diesel into the United Kingdom, which imported about half of its supply in 2017.

The more than £800 million investment includes a hydrotreater unit to remove sulphur from diesel, supported by a hydrogen plant.

Detailed engineering and design is underway. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2019, subject to local planning approval, and startup is expected in 2021. At its peak, building activity will support up to 1,000 construction jobs.

Located on Southampton Water, the Fawley site also has strategic access to distribution logistics across southern England and export access to other markets in Europe and the Atlantic basin.

Alongside recent investments at ExxonMobil’s refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast, Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Singapore, the project will contribute to ExxonMobil’s announced plans to significantly increase the earnings potential of its downstream business by 2025.

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