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Refining

Refining capacity million b/d Shell sharenumber of refineries
Refining capacity (million b/d Shell share) for Europe, Americas, Asia, Oceania, Africa and number of refineries – development from 2006 to 2014 minus 20% (bar chart)

We have interests in 24 refineries worldwide. They have the capacity to process a total of over 3.1 million barrels of crude oil per day (Shell share) into a wide range of products, including gasoline, diesel, heating oil, aviation fuel, marine fuel, lubricants, liquefied petroleum gas, sulphur and bitumen. Approximately 35% of our refining capacity is in Europe and Africa, with 39% in the Americas and 26% in Asia and Oceania.

Efficiency improvements have contributed to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from our refineries and petrochemicals plants. Achieving even greater efficiency and operational reliability will also help us improve profitability. The average availability of our refineries, a measure of their operational excellence, was 94% in 2014, the highest since the start of our recordings.

A key part of our strategy is to divest non-core assets while selectively investing in high-growth markets, especially in Asia. We have retained the larger and more integrated refineries, and our current portfolio is positioned for optimisation across the entire value chain.

We aim to create a Downstream portfolio that is more focused on larger, integrated refining and petrochemical sites that are better able to respond to tighter fuel specifications and growth opportunities.