Difficult times for Germany’s downstream
Europe’s refining sector is desperately trying to adapt to a shifting global energy landscape and nowhere is this more apparent than in its largest economy
While structural shifts are occurring across the whole refining sector in Europe, the most noticeable changes are happening in Germany. Its refining industry is suffering from a number of factors, including tightening environmental regulations, a strategic shift towards cleaner energy, a decline in demand for refined products, and rising feedstock costs brought about by EU sanctions against Russia. Recent examples of these shifts are the 147,000-b/d Wesseling refinery and 260,000-b/d Gelsenkirchen, with the first already closed and the latter possibly cutting capacity to 160,000 b/d. In May this year, Shell closed its 147,000-b/d Wesseling facility to repurpose the site for producing Group
Also in this section
7 November 2025
The Russian company’s German assets are under Berlin’s management and are exempt from sanctions, for now, but a permanent solution still needs to be found
6 November 2025
The Russian firm made a significant attempt to expand overseas over the past two decades but is now divesting its global operations
6 November 2025
After years of pursuing ideologically driven climate leadership, Western powers are now stepping back under mounting political pressure and rising populist opposition—prompting concern essential climate action could be sidelined
5 November 2025
Construction of the pipeline in Afghanistan is making tangible progress, but extending it into Pakistan and India remains unrealistic for political reasons
