Total Refinery (formerly Amoco)

The Amoco Oil Refinery at Robeston, just West of Milford Haven was the last oil refinery to be built in Pembrokeshire.

Amoco chose Milford Haven for similar reasons to the other oil companies, namely, the large accessible waterway, a co-operative local authority and a large supply of labour.

In February 1971 approval was granted for Amoco to build the refinery at Robeston. However, it was not long after work began on developing the site that there were complaints from local residents. As a result Amoco and the company responsible for dredging the waterway were summoned and forced to stop night operations that were being carried out close to the town. The matter was settled amicably and Amoco continued with the construction of their refinery.

The first train entered the site on the 10th August 1973 and the following day saw the first tanker berth at the jetty. The completed refinery had an oil refining capacity of 80,000 barrels of crude per day. Amoco held a formal inauguration ceremony on the 7th June 1974, when the refinery was opened by John Morris, the then Secretary of State for Wales.

The Refinery has undergone continuous improvement and upgrading, and is now capable of processing up to 112,000 barrels of crude per day of light North Sea type crude oils.

The product range consists of propane, butane, kerosine (Jet,) diesel, gas oil and fuel oil. All crude is delivered by sea across the Refinery's own deep water marine terminal which is capable of handling simultaneously, at its three berths, crude and product tankers of 275,000, 30,000 and 6,000 dwt. The jetty is linked to the Refinery by a series of pipelines, carrying crude oil and ballast water inshore and products and effluent water to the jetty.

Overland transportation is achieved by road, rail and pipeline. The refinery has its own siding, where rail tank cars are loaded, which connects with the other local refineries and uses the Mainline Pipeline Limited's 402km underground pipeline to take products from the refinery to the Midlands and Manchester area.

The refinery is still in operation today, although it is now run by Total, who took over Amoco, and Murco.