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Oil and refinery industry in Spain - statistics & facts

The petroleum industry can be broken down into two well-differentiated areas of activity. Petroleum exploration and extraction, usually referred to as the upstream sector, focuses on finding and exploiting hydrocarbon resources. On the other hand, the refining or downstream sector transforms crude oil into a wide range of derivative products. These include fuels like gasoline, diesel, and kerosene, and also organic chemical feedstocks that constitute the basis of products such as plastics, detergents, drugs, synthetic fibers, or agrochemicals.

Spain’s dependency on crude oil imports

The Spanish economy relies heavily upon oil imports to meet its energy needs, as petroleum remains the main source of primary energy in the country. In 2022, around 53.6 million metric tons of crude oil were imported, while domestic crude oil production amounted to less than 1,000 metric tons, a negligible contribution to the total consumption of the country. Nigeria, the United States, and Mexico were Spain’s main petroleum suppliers, covering more than 30 percent of the total imports.

Refinery industry

In 2021, the Spanish refining industry employed around 200 thousand persons and generated a sales revenue of some 51.7 billion euros. Currently, Spain has nine oil refineries with a total processing capacity over 1.5 million barrels per day. Most of the refining capacity belongs to Repsol, the largest company within the sector, followed by Cepsa, BP, and Asesa.

Effect of COVID-19

During 2020, the consumption of most petroleum products in Spain experimented considerable reductions. For instance, the 95-octane fuel consumed in the country dropped from 5 to 3.9 million metric tons, while the consumption of automotive diesel was 3.8 million metric tons fewer than in 2019. However, the greatest decrease was registered in aviation kerosene, which, due to the drastic reduction of air traffic during 2020, plummeted to a third of the value recorded the year before.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Lucía Fernández, Mar 20, 2023

Key insights

Oil refining revenue
51.73bn EUR
Number of employees in oil refining
Over 200k
Oil refining companies
14
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Distribution of crude oil imports in Spain in 2022, by country of origin

Fossil Fuels

Share of petroleum imports in Spain 2022, by country

Selected figures about the oil refinery industry in Spain in 2020

Refining

Key figures on the oil refinery industry in Spain 2020

Oil refinery capacity in Spain from 2005 to 2021 (in 1,000 barrels per day)

Refining

Oil refinery capacity in Spain 2005-2021

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