Holborn at a glance

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Key data

  • Oil refinery mainly producing gasoline and middle distillates
  • Successfully operating at its Hamburg-Harburg site for over 30 years
  • Member of the Oilinvest group
  • Refining facilities extend across almost 100 hectares
  • Total capacity of 5 million tons per year
  • Crude oil delivery by pipeline from Wilhelmshaven
  • Over 300 employees, half of them working shifts
  • Constantly around 150 to 300 employees from partner companies at the site
  • Member of the en2x – Wirtschaftsverband Fuels & Energie (Petroleum Industry Association) and many other industry associations, committees, and working groups

 

OUR STRENGTHS

  • Outstanding energy efficiency
  • Very high availability
  • Prime location: close to the motorway (A7), private railway, sea and inland waterway connections via a harbour basin on the Elbe

History

1928

First refining facilities at the current location: Ebano-Asphaltwerke AG

1953

ESSO takes over the facilities and enlarges them repeatedly

1985

ESSO announces its closure of the Hamburg refinery site

1987

HOLBORN group takes over the disused refinery and reopens it. Many ex-ESSO employees are rehired

1988

Combustible fuels are produced again after only six months

1989

Crude oil is delivered to the refinery by pipeline from Wilhelmshaven – this is significantly safer, more reliable, and cost-effective than via large tankers on the busy Elbe

1990

A Crack-LPG-Recovery unit enables HOLBORN to start propylene production and generate feedstock for the chemical industry for the first time

1990/91

New vapour recovery equipment is used to enhance environmental protection when loading tank trucks, tank wagons and ships

1997

An overhaul of crude oil distillation increases the capacity for light crude oils from 80,000 to 100,000 barrels per day

1999

The isomerisation unit goes into operation, beginning the clean fuels modernisation project.

2002

A deep desulfurisation unit for diesel as well as hydrogen production facilities are built to produce the new EU-wide, sulfur-free fuels that are more eco-friendly

2003

The commissioning of a cyclohexane plant enables HOLBORN to produce yet another feedstock for the chemical industry and improve its competitiveness. The clean fuels modernisation program is completed at the same time and the refinery reaches its present stage of development

2005

HOLBORN thus meets the new environmental standards and is blending gasoline bio-components to reduce CO2 emissions two years before the statutory deadline

2006

Modification of the gas oil desulfurisation unit means HOLBORN is one of the first refineries able to deliver its entire production of fuels and heating oil in low-sulfur or sulfur-free quality

2011

HOLBORN is one of the ten most energy-efficient refineries in Europe – a status that has since been extended by numerous measures and projects

2018

HOLBORN Europa Raffinerie celebrates its 30 year anniversary. The refinery will continue to be regularly modernised in the future to further enhance environmental protection and safety, as well as to operate cost-effectively with maximum availability