The BRC Refinery

The BRC refinery is located north of the Port of Antwerp at the center of the ARA region on a 105-hectare site. The BRC refinery was originally commissioned in 1968 and acquired by Petroplus in May 2006. The refinery is an atmospheric-vacuum distillation, visbreaking refinery with a nameplate throughput capacity of 110,000 barrels per day.

One of the key strengths of the BRC refinery is its extensive hydro-desulfurization capacity that enables the refinery to process a predominantly sour crude slate to produce low sulfur, light and middle distillates, including gasoline, naphtha, ULSD, heating oil and vacuum gasoil. The refinery's low-sulfur production meets the E.U. 2009 mandatory maximum sulfur limit of 10ppm for gasoline and diesel. The low-sulfur and low-aromatic qualities of the refinery's gasoline components make them highly marketable in both northwest European and U.S. markets.

The refinery's location also gives it proximity to intermediate and finished product markets in the densely populated Benelux region, and the heavy industrial presence, including other refineries, in the Antwerp area.