Texaco Refinery

The increasing demand for oil products in the late 1950's and early 1960's led to the Regent Oil Company (now Chevron) looking to build its first oil refinery in the UK.

In 1963 work began on building the only oil refinery located south of the Cleddau River. Its jetty runs out into deep waster just to the east of the BP jetty.

The building of the refinery was greeted by the people of Pembrokeshire with great enthusiasm and optimism. The then MP for Pembrokeshire, Desmond Donelly said:

'This is the rebirth of Pembrokeshire. I only wish the men who were discharged from Pembroke Dockyard during the dark depressing days, were here today to see it taking place.'

In September 1964 the refinery was opened by the Queen Mother. It is the only Chevron -Texaco refinery located in the UK and it had an original output capacity of 5.9 million metric tons per year. In 2003 the refinery underwent a $150 million upgraded to produce sulphur free (10 parts per million) petrol and diesel

The refinery site covers an area of 223 hectares adjoining the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Operating 24 hours a day, every day of the year, it directly employs several hundred people and supports the employment of many more. On average it can process up to 210,000 barrels per day of crude oil, producing 33 million litres of products of which 50 per cent is petrol every 24 hours.

Crude oil arrives from fields around the world and as many as 4 tankers may dock in a week. In one week, the refinery may receive more than 2 million barrels of crude oil.

75% of the refinery output of finished products is distributed by sea, the refinery Marine Terminal being capable of handling tankers up to 275,000 dwt. Texaco has an interest in Mainline Pipelines Limited which operates a pipeline from the Milford Haven area to the Midlands and Manchester.