Home / Europe / United Kingdom / Oil refineries / Esso Fawley Southampton Refinery

Esso Fawley Southampton Refinery

Refinery in United Kingdom. Approximate location 50.83316, -1.36678.

RefineryUnited KingdomCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Esso Fawley Southampton Refinery is a refinery in United Kingdom. Its listed capacity is 262,000 BBL per day. Refineries heat, fractionate and chemically transform crude oil into fuels and petrochemical feedstocks through energy-intensive distillation and cracking — extremely demanding on steam generation and heat recovery. It is operated by Exxon Mobil Corp. By capacity it ranks #2 among 6 oil refineries in United Kingdom. It emits about 2,404,168 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 560k passenger cars. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 7% above the national median for this sector.

262,000BBL per day
2,404,168t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#5CO₂ rank in United Kingdom
9.18t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-3144159.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityEsso Fawley Southampton Refinery Climate TRACE
CountryUnited Kingdom Climate TRACE
Coordinates50.83316, -1.36678 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectoroil-and-gas-refining Climate TRACE
Reported capacity262,000 BBL per day Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorExxon Mobil Corp Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e2,404,168 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

United Kingdom rank#5 of 44 · top 11.4% calculated
Global oil-and-gas-refining rank#123 of 630 · top 19.5% calculated
Climate contextderived from coordinates calculated

Not available

Fuel typeNot available not in dataset
Thermal capacity (MW)Not available not in dataset

Source data, measured cross-checks and calculated values are kept separate. No confidence percentage is invented.

Similar facilities by modelled emissions

Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.

Operating power plants within 50 km

PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.

In context: how this facility compares

At 262,000 BBL per day, Esso Fawley Southampton Refinery is around the median refinery in United Kingdom (221,000 BBL per day). Subsector: oil-and-gas-refining. As refinery, it requires high process heat (typically 200–600°C) for its core industrial operations — heat that must be supplied by boilers, furnaces or direct combustion, and losses through uninsulated vessels and piping represent wasted fuel. Removable modular insulation can cut those losses by 80–96%, surface-cooling equipment to ≤45°C, with payback often under 2 years. Refineries heat, fractionate and chemically transform crude oil into fuels and petrochemical feedstocks through energy-intensive distillation and cracking — extremely demanding on steam generation and heat recovery.

Capacity & CO₂-intensity comparison computed from Climate TRACE industrial facilities data; sector role based on engineering reference.

What 2,404,168 t CO₂e a year looks like

This facility's estimated annual CO₂e (Climate TRACE, modelled) in everyday equivalents from the US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies calculator:

560kcars driven for a year
314khomes' annual energy use
40 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

Equivalencies: US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies. Emissions: Climate TRACE.

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 2.4M t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Esso Fawley Southampton Refinery carries €156M/yr of carbon at the full UK ETS price (€65/t CO₂). Free allocation phases out to 2034 (Reg. (EU) 2023/956), so today's bill is lower and rising toward this full-price figure. The fastest decarbonization lever is energy efficiency: eliminating heat loss on hot equipment (removable insulation, steam & waste-heat recovery) typically cuts 2–5% of fuel-related CO₂ — here ≈48k t–120k t/yr, worth €3.1M€7.8M, with payback up to 2 years.

2.4M t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€156M/yrcarbon value · full UK ETS price
48k t–120k t/yr ≈ €3.1M€7.8MDecarbonization potential

Carbon price: UK ETS €65/t · EU ETS €79/t, July 2, 2026, refreshed live via Carbon Hub. CO₂: Climate TRACE. Efficiency range: US DOE / ASTM C680 (method). Indicative carbon value, not the cash bill — free allocation applies; not compliance advice. Estimate the saving for this site →

Capacity vs largest oil refineries in United Kingdom

Valero Pembroke Refinery: 270,000 BBL per day270kValero Pem…Esso Fawley Southampton Refinery: 262,000 BBL per day262kEsso Fawle…Phillips 66 Humber Refinery: 221,000 BBL per day221kPhillips 6…Essar Stanlow Refinery: 201,000 BBL per day201kEssar Stan…INEOS Grangemouth Refinery: 150,000 BBL per day150kINEOS Gran…Prax Group Lindsey Oil Refinery: 113,000 BBL per day113kPrax Group…

Listed capacity (BBL per day), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).

Operator

Operated by Exxon Mobil Corp. All facilities by this operator →

Local climate

Esso Fawley Southampton Refinery sits in a temperate oceanic climate zone (Köppen Cfb), at 50.8°N in the northern hemisphere.

~11°Ctypical annual mean
~18°Ctypical warm-season
Temperate oceanic: four distinct seasons — cold winters and warm summers

Köppen zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

Site climate & environmental severity

The local climate sets how fast unprotected steel, protective coatings and the insulation on hot process equipment degrade at this site. It sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
11.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
12 kmdistance to coast
HighCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1394 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.07× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1324 W/m² of that. Reference-surface calculation at a 150 °C surface from WorldClim climate normals (ASTM C680 / ISO 12241) — an indicative per-climate comparison, not a measurement of this site’s specific equipment. Open method dataset: DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20787408 (CC BY 4.0).

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby sites

The #2 largest of 6 oil refineries in United Kingdom by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates 50.83316, -1.36678. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

For a refinery, the main modular-insulation targets are crude & vacuum distillation columns, fired heaters, heat exchangers, steam lines, valves & flanges. Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 150–550 °C.

Indicative recoverable energy

A first-pass insulation screen suggests about 62,000 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 12,000 t CO₂e/year of avoided emissions. Screening estimate scaled from installed process-heat projects and surface-temperature reduction data.

See Inzonex Modular Insulation → Run the calculator →

Screening calculation from facility class, capacity and open emissions/energy context. Engineering survey required before procurement.

Safety & the no-regret first step

Start with a thermal survey of valves, flanges, doors and bends. Removable modular insulation keeps maintenance access open while lowering exposed-surface temperature and wasted heat.

United Kingdom: funding & obligation

Funding. Grants for industrial energy efficiency / deep decarbonization in England, Wales, NI; min grant lowered to GBP 75k for SMEs. official source · verified 2026
Status: Phase 3 closed spring 2024 — verify current open phase before 'apply now'.

Obligation. Mandatory for 'large undertakings': >=250 employees OR turnover >GBP 36M and balance sheet >GBP 18M. Qualification date 31 Dec 2026; compliance notification by 5 Dec 2027. (applies as a rule above the stated threshold — we do not hold this site's metered energy use). official source · verified 2026

Programme terms verified 2026-06-18; confirm the current open phase before applying. Eligibility depends on a site's energy use / headcount, which we do not hold — not a per-facility eligibility determination.

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is Esso Fawley Southampton Refinery?

Esso Fawley Southampton Refinery is a refinery in United Kingdom. Refineries heat, fractionate and chemically transform crude oil into fuels and petrochemical feedstocks through energy-intensive distillation and cracking — extremely demanding on steam generation and heat recovery.

What capacity is listed for Esso Fawley Southampton Refinery?

The open dataset lists 262,000 BBL per day of capacity for Esso Fawley Southampton Refinery.

How much CO₂ does Esso Fawley Southampton Refinery emit?

The page uses about 2,404,168 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #5 among facilities in United Kingdom by estimated CO₂.

Where is Esso Fawley Southampton Refinery located?

Esso Fawley Southampton Refinery is in United Kingdom at approximately 50.83316, -1.36678.

Who operates Esso Fawley Southampton Refinery?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is Exxon Mobil Corp.

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.