Stanlow Manufacturing Complex, which is situated south of the Mersey estuary near Ellesmere Port, has origins dating back to 1924. During the intervening years the refinery has grown in size and sophistication with the addition of a number of units designed to extract the maximum value from crude oil. These have included a fluid catalytic cracker, alkylation unit, platformer and hydrodesulpherisation plant.

The refinery is integrated with the adjoining Shell Chemicals plants. Crude oil is received at the Tranmere oil terminal on the Mersey and is transferred by pipeline to storage at Stanlow. Finished products are delivered by pipeline (40%) via the northern end of the UKOP pipeline, road (30%)from the loading terminal at Stanlow and water (30%), via the Manchester Ship Canal.

Facts and figures
Refining capacity: 12 million tonnes per year

Product output
petrol 3 million tonnes
diesel 3.5 mt
kerosene/jet fuel 2 mt
LPG & petrochemical feedstocks 1.5mt
Fuel oil 1,000,000 tonnes