World Refinery Database

About PIRA's World Refinery Database

An invaluable online tool, now enhanced to include crude slates and refinery outages

Built on PIRA’s tradition of exhaustive data-gathering and expert analysis, the World Refinery Database provides an in-depth, forward view of the international refining business. Since its launch in 2005, clients have relied on the Database’s cutting-edge functionality, delivering capacity data by unit and configuration, along with detailed ownership status and history.  Now the Database has been enhanced to give clients the ability to access refinery-by-refinery crude slate and outages data. The result is a robust, turnkey research tool that is unmatched in the industry.

Users of the World Refinery Database have an edge in understanding the ever-changing dynamics of the worldwide refining industry. Available only through PIRA Online, the Database encompasses nearly every refinery and associated process unit in the world, providing regular updates and an historic archive for each facility. In its newly expanded and enhanced format, the Database contains refinery-by-refinery crude run histories broken out into major grade categories and historic refinery outage data. And for those companies that opt to add this premium service, it also includes the capability to input user-defined estimates of refinery outages. By cross-referencing outages and typical historic run slates, the impacts of refinery outages on crude grade requirements can be readily evaluated. This comprehensive combination of refinery-level runs and refinery-level crude grade slates is not to our knowledge available elsewhere.

The Database offers a variety of query options at the user’s discretion.  Because the searchable data can be downloaded into spreadsheets, it is an invaluable tool for clients to have and use in their own independent assessment and analysis.

Simply put, the World Refinery Database is geared for companies that highly value a comprehensive review of the state of the world's refineries, their history, operation, crude requirements, and future plans.  Instead of endlessly searching for these data in multiple locations, you can have it right at your fingertips on PIRA Online.

Key Features of the World Refinery Database

Clients of PIRA’s World Refinery Database benefit from:

  • Detailed historical breakdown of capacity and process unit configuration for nearly every refinery and associated unit in the world. Quarterly data extend back to 1984.
  • Up-to-date forecast of planned refinery investments, including additions and new construction.  An assessment is made of each project’s status and likelihood. Separate listings of closed or idled facilities and cancelled projects are included.
  • Comprehensive historical summary of crude/condensate runs for essentially every refinery in the world. Annual data range extends back to 2005.
  • Historical slate data are broken out into six major grade categories by API gravity and sulfur level.
  • By-facility historical summary of crude distillation outages for every refinery that publicly reports such data in the world. Monthly data extend back to 2007.
  • The Refinery Outage Scenario Manager, a special tracking tool that allows clients to use their own estimates of outages for any time period in comparison with PIRA's database of capacities, historical runs by grade, and historical reported outages.
  • All capacity, runs, and outage databases can be searched by year, company (owner or operator), configuration, region, country, PADD, state/province, or city.
  • Summary reports can be “drilled down” to the most-discreet level of detail.
  • Ability to download data into a variety of formats, for further study and manipulation, as well as charting capabilities.
  • Extensive background data, refining margins, and glossary that provide useful market information and technical definitions.

Components of the World Refinery Database

The database, accesible via PIRA Online, provides the following features:

Regional Summary Reports

Provides capacity and — for premium users — crude run data with regional aggregation and “drill-down” capabilities to the most discrete level of detail.

Country Summary Reports

This section takes the Regional Summary section a step further, allowing users to more quickly retrieve refinery data in by-country, by-state/city, or by-refinery detail.

Evolution Reports

Users can create capacity and runs “evolution” reports that allow them to analyze and compare trends over time, for any mix of geographical locations, individual owner/operator company or owner/operator group of companies, or any refinery configuration. Data can be presented in the form of annual cumulative changes or annual incremental changes — with the ability to drill-down to aggregated quarterly detail for capacity data.

Utilization Reports

Refinery capacity utilization reports (e.g., crude runs as a percent of capacity) can be generated from any of the above-mentioned data tables.

Historical Refinery Outages and Crude Runs/Slates Data

PIRA provides a historical database of outages by month beginning in 2007. These data were all developed from public sources of information (no proprietary data are included). Also included are historical data for crude runs and crude slates by refinery. These data can be compared against historically typical run slates to estimate the impact of outages on crude grade requirements. In addition to the historical data, this section includes the Refinery Outage Scenario Manager a custom tool that allows users to enter their own estimates of historical, current, or future outages and thus see the potential impact on crude grade requirements.  Reports can be generated for the PIRA history or the user's own data (or a combination of the two). As with all reports, data can be summarized by year, region, operator, etc.

Ownership Evolution Reports

Ownership evolution reports contain detailed information on historical development of ownership percent share for every refinery in the world for time period of the project.

Refining Margins

Provides a series of charts and data that show refining margin trends. The 12 margin calculations are based upon the most current data generated by PIRA’s refinery model simulation of operations in each regional refining center.

Background Data and Glossary

Provide users with methodologies and definitions for refinery process units, conversion factors, operable days and stream factors for every unit on a by-country basis.  Additional sections include new grassroots refineries, closures, and regional product-quality developments.

Options and Fees

PIRA's World Refinery Database comes in two different levels of access:

  • Standard Access. Prior to 2010, PIRA's World Refinery Database contained primarily refinery capacity and ownership information and did not contain information on runs, slates, or outages. Subscribers can still obtain access to this capacity-only data package.
  • Premium Access. This level provides access to the complete set of capacity, crude runs/slates, and outages data in the World Refinery Database Upgrading from Standard Access: If your company current receives the Database at Standard level, you can upgrade the service by adding crude runs/slates and outages data access without waiting until the renewal date. A “top off” fee will be charged to their current subscription.