BP plans to halt refining operations at its 102,000 bbl/d Bulwer Island refinery in Brisbane, Queensland (Australia) by mid-2015. Bulwer, as other medium and small scale facilities, is undergoing growing commercial pressure from the growth of very large refineries in the Asia-Pacific region.
BP has then decided to strengthen its long-term supply position in the east coast retail and commercial fuels markets by purchasing products from other refineries. To ensure no disruption to customers, alternate supply arrangements have been made and this includes imports of jet fuel and a term agreement with Caltex for the provision of motor spirit and diesel from the nearby Lytton refinery. Once processing has been halted, the import jetty, aviation fuel tanks and associated pipelines will remain operational while other storage tanks and pipelines will be placed on a care and maintenance basis pending a decision to convert the site to a multi-product import terminal.
The Bulwer Island refinery was built on reclaimed land by Amoco between 1964 and 1965 and was bought by BP in 1984. Over the years it has been subject to a number of modifications and improvements and in 2000 was significantly upgraded to produce low sulphur fuels. The refinery has a capacity of around 102,000 bbl/d and produces petrol, diesel, kerosene, aviation fuel, heating oil and LPG.
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