Fawley chemical manufacturing plant
At Fawley in Hampshire, Esso Petroleum Company, Limited and ExxonMobil Chemical Limited operate one of the largest and most complex oil refining and petrochemical manufacturing sites in Europe.
The chemical plant produces approximately 750,000 tonnes of chemical products every year. More than 90 per cent of the chemical products manufactured at Fawley are exported by ship from the site's deep water marine terminal on Southampton Water. Products are shipped to ExxonMobil Chemical plants in Europe for further processing or to third party customers all over the world.
We also import butene which is stored in seven large pressurised spheres - known as the seven sisters - that are a prominent feature of the Fawley site.
The two key products produced at Fawley are MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) - a powerful solvent used in paints & adhesives - and halobutyl rubber. We are the major European manufacturer of halobutyl rubber which is used to line tyres - the majority of tyres manufactured in Europe contain some Fawley halobutyl rubber.
The refinery and chemical plants at Fawley are highly integrated. During the refining process, the catalytic cracker performs the important function of upgrading heavy low-value refinery streams into light chemical feedstock streams such as propylenes and butenes. These are fed to the adjacent chemical plants that convert them into high-value, high purity chemical products.
ExxonMobil Chemical is dedicated to protecting the health and safety of its neighbours, employees and contractors as well as the environment. We are continuously reducing the overall impact of our operations on the environment. As important members of the local community for 60 years, Esso and ExxonMobil Chemical are committed to being responsible neighbours and have a well-established programme of community links in the area. A newsletter about the Fawley site, Community Matters , is distributed to local residents six times a year.