SAPREF Durban Refinery — South Africa
Refinery in South Africa. Approximate location -29.97342, 31.03469.
RefinerySouth Africa
SAPREF Durban Refinery is a refinery in South Africa. Its listed capacity is 180,000 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 CEF SOC Ltd. By capacity it ranks #1 among 2 oil refineries in South Africa.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1753779.
Data status
Known source data
Calculated from the dataset
Not available
Source data, measured cross-checks and calculated values are kept separate. No confidence percentage is invented.
Operating power plants within 50 km
- Bisasar Road Landfill · Waste · 6 MW · 19 km
- Mariannhill Landfill · Waste · 2 MW · 24 km
- Maidstone power station · Biomass · 21 MW · 48 km
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
At 180,000 BBL per day, SAPREF Durban Refinery is around the median refinery in South Africa (180,000 BBL per day). Subsector: oil-and-gas-refining. As refinery, it requires high process heat (typically 200–600°C) for its core industrial operations, supplied by boilers, furnaces or direct combustion. 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.
Capacity vs largest oil refineries in South Africa
Listed capacity (BBL per day), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).
Operator
Operated by CEF SOC Ltd.
Local climate
SAPREF Durban Refinery sits in a humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), at 30.0°S in the southern hemisphere.
Köppen zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.
In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1292 W/m² to ambient — roughly 0.99× the loss at a 20 °C reference. 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).
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 #1 largest of 2 oil refineries in South Africa by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).
Nearby industrial sites
- Engen Durban Refinery · Refinery
- Ray Nkonyeni Cement Plant · Cement Plant · 630,424 t CO₂
- Richards Bay, Hillside aluminium plant · Aluminium Smelter · 1,602,048 t CO₂
Location
Coordinates -29.97342, 31.03469. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is SAPREF Durban Refinery?
SAPREF Durban Refinery is a refinery in South Africa. 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 SAPREF Durban Refinery?
The open dataset lists 180,000 BBL per day of capacity for SAPREF Durban Refinery.
Where is SAPREF Durban Refinery located?
SAPREF Durban Refinery is in South Africa at approximately -29.97342, 31.03469.
Who operates SAPREF Durban Refinery?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is CEF SOC Ltd.