ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ

As of January 1, 2025, the Motiva Enterprises refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, was the largest crude oil refinery in the United States, with a refining capacity of 640,500 barrels per calendar day. The largest seven oil refineries in the country are all located in the Gulf Coast (PADD 3), with four facilities in Texas and three in Louisiana. The ubiquity of refineries in Texas is unsurprising, given that the state is also the leading oil-producing U.S. state.

The U.S. refining industry

The number of operational refineries in the U.S. has notably declined since the 1980s. However, despite the 1980 oil shock resulting in closures of smaller refineries, many more began expanding, which explains the comparatively smaller loss in U.S. refining capacity since then.

Future spells trouble for refining industry

As many countries plan stringent fossil fuel exit strategies and introduce carbon taxes, refining margins and, as such, the profitability of individual refineries have been affected. This is particularly true for the European market, where climate change mitigation targets are some of the strictest in the world. In a bid to cut costs, BP announced the closure of one of its largest refineries in Germany from 2025 onward. Shell's refinery in Pernis, Netherlands, is Europe's largest oil refinery, with a capacity of 425,000 barrels per day.