Covid-19 accelerates refinery rationalisation
Significant regional changes hurried along by the pandemic will permanently alter global dynamics
Global refining capacity looked over-supplied even before the Covid-19 pandemic, with projections of capacity growth exceeding increases in refined product demand by a factor of 2:1. New capabilities in the Middle East and Asia are the major driver of this mismatch. But any demand projections made before 2020 have now been summarily torn up, following the collapse in refined product demand due to coronavirus lockdowns and significant uncertainty over whether or if requirements will return to pre-pandemic levels. Refinery throughput reductions have been substantial globally in 2020 but have varied by region. In the US, refinery utilisation rates dropped as low as 68pc in April before recover
Also in this section
24 March 2026
It is an unusual story of out with the new and in with the old, as America First Refining shows the US going back to trusted energy security developments
23 March 2026
A complex and sometimes contradictory web of factors that include unpredictable oil prices, the globalisation of LNG markets, the expansion of Middle Eastern sovereign capital and the growth of datacentre demand will shape the energy landscape beyond 2026
23 March 2026
The Strait of Hormuz crisis highlights how key waterways can become global chokepoints
20 March 2026
Attacks on key oil and LNG assets across the Gulf mean a prolonged supply disruption, with damage to Qatar’s export capacity undermining confidence in the global gas system
