Shell Deutschland GmbH announced on Friday that it decided to close its oil refinery in Wesseling, Germany, and turn the site into a chemicals production plant, which will form part of Group III base oils.
According to the statement, the company will halt crude oil processing at the Wesseling site by 2025. Shell added that the new base oils plant should become operational in the second half of this decade, and its production capacity is expected to be around 300,000 tons per year, corresponding to 40% of the current German demand and about 9% of EU consumption of base oils.
"The repurposing of this European refinery is a significant step towards serving our growing lubricant customer base with premium base oils. This investment is part of Shell’s drive to create more value with less emissions," Shell’s Downstream and Renewables Director Huibert Vigeveno commented.
