ExxonMobil Fos-sur-Mer Refinery

ExxonMobil Fos-sur-Mer Refinery is a refinery in France. Its listed capacity is 133,000 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 Rhône Energies SARL. By capacity it ranks #5 among 6 oil refineries in France. It emits about 1,213,600 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 283k passenger cars. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 6% above the national median for this sector.

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-3143886.

In context: how this facility compares

At 133,000 BBL per day, ExxonMobil Fos-sur-Mer Refinery is below the median refinery in France (219,000 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 1,213,600 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:

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

Capacity vs largest oil refineries in France

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

Operator

Operated by Rhône Energies SARL.

Local climate

ExxonMobil Fos-sur-Mer Refinery sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate zone (Köppen Csa), at 43.5°N in the northern hemisphere.

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.

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1348 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.04× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1281 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 #5 largest of 6 oil refineries in France by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).

Nearby industrial sites

• ArcelorMittal Méditerranée Fos sur Mer steel plant · Steel Plant · 4,780,174 t CO₂
• Marcegaglia Fos Sur Mer steel plant · Steel Plant · 34,764 t CO₂
• INEOS Lavera Marseilles Refinery · Refinery · 2,443,631 t CO₂
• Bouches-du-Rhône Department · Aluminium Smelter · 47,088 t CO₂
• INEOS, Lavera · Petrochemical · 927,870 t CO₂
• Chaux De Provence Sacam · Lime Plant · 193,379 t CO₂

Location

Coordinates 43.45032, 4.9243. 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 46,000 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 9,200 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.

France: funding & obligation

Funding. Energy-savings certificate premiums for efficiency works; 6th period from 1 Jan 2026 (+35% obligation, 1050 TWhc/yr). official source · verified 2026

Obligation. Now CONSUMPTION-based: if avg annual final energy >2.75 GWh over 3 yrs, mandatory regulatory energy audit; first audit for newly-covered sites by 11 Oct 2026. (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