Gelsenkirchen Refinery: Fuels, petrochemical base materials and solvents based on crude oil
Ruhr Oel GmbH
Gelsenkirchen (Scholven) · Gelsenkirchen (Horst) · Bottrop · Mülheim an der RuhrNew on Amplifa
About Ruhr Oel GmbH
Ruhr Oel GmbH operates the Gelsenkirchen refinery with the Scholven and Horst plants as well as a tank farm in Bottrop. The company processes around 12.7 million tonnes of crude oil per year (265,000 barrels per day) in three crude oil distillation units and produces more than 50 different products, including gasoline, diesel, kerosene and heating oil. Around 22% of total production is petrochemical products; the Scholven site is home to one of Germany's largest ethylene plants, with an annual ethylene capacity of 1.07 million tonnes. Customers include the chemical industry in Germany and Europe as well as Düsseldorf Airport, which is supplied with jet fuel. Ruhr Oel GmbH was founded in 1982 as a joint venture between Veba Oel AG and Petróleos de Venezuela, has belonged entirely to BP since 2017 and has been part of the Klesch Group since August 1, 2026. The Scholven plant (approx. 250 hectares) and Horst plant (approx. 160 hectares, with its own port) together with DHC Solvents form an integrated refinery and petrochemical complex in the northern Ruhr region with around 1,800 employees.
- Site
- Gelsenkirchen
- Processes
- Crude oil distillation (fractional distillation), Ethylene production (steamcracker), Production of fuels (gasoline, diesel, kerosene, heating oil), Production of petrochemical base materials and solvents, Production of fuels for road and air traffic, Heating oil, Supply of petrochemical base materials (more than 50 products, incl. ethylene, propylene) to the, Crude oil processing
- Materials
- Crude oil, Gasoline, Diesel, Kerosene, Heating oil, Ethylene, Propylene, Polyethylene
- Founded
- 1982
- Employees
- 1,800
- Industries
- Mineral oil processing/refinery, Petrochemicals, Aviation (jet fuel), Chemical industry
- 01
Crude oil supply (by ship via own port facilities, pipeline)
- 02
Crude oil distillation (fractional distillation in 3 units)
- 03
Further processing into fuels (gasoline, diesel, kerosene, heating oil)
- 04
Steamcracking into ethylene and propylene
- 05
Production of petrochemical base materials and solvents
- 06
Storage (tank farm Bottrop, 9 storage tanks)
- 07
Delivery to customers in Germany and Europe
Products and Processes
Crude oil distillation (fractional distillation)
Separation of crude oil into various components in three distillation units in Horst and Scholven.
Ethylene production (steamcracker)
Production of around 1.07 million tonnes of ethylene per year at the Scholven site from naphtha.
Gasoline
Fuel for road traffic for the local market.
Diesel
Fuel for road traffic for the local market.
Kerosene
Aviation turbine fuel, including supply to Düsseldorf Airport.
Heating oil
Heating oil for the local market.
Ethylene
Petrochemical base material for the chemical industry; second-largest ethylene producer in Germany.
Propylene
Petrochemical base material for the chemical industry.
Liquefied petroleum gas
Product from further processing in Horst.
Solvents and specialty products
Production via the subsidiary DHC Solvent Chemie GmbH in Mülheim an der Ruhr.
Sites
Gelsenkirchen (Scholven)
DEScholven refinery plant with steamcracker
- Materials
- Crude oil, naphtha, ethylene, propylene
- 3 crude oil distillation units (shared with Horst)
- Steamcracker (ethylene plant, 1.07 million t/year)
Gelsenkirchen (Horst)
DEHorst refinery plant with its own port
- Materials
- Crude oil, gasoline, heating gas, liquefied petroleum gas
- Crude oil distillation units
- own port
Bottrop
DETank farm with its own oil jetty in the port of Bottrop
- 9 large storage tanks
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crude oil distillation (fractional distillation)Casting | – | – | – | – | Crude oil |
| Ethylene production (steamcracker)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Crude oil, Naphtha |
| Production of fuels (gasoline, diesel, kerosene, heating oil)Casting | – | – | – | – | Crude oil |
| Production of petrochemical base materials and solventsPlastics | – | – | – | – | Mineral oil |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crude oil distillation unit | – | 3 | – | – | Gelsenkirchen (Horst and Scholven) |
| Steamcracker (ethylene plant) | – | – | 1.07 million t ethylene per year | – | Scholven |
| Tank farm | – | 9 | – | – | Bottrop |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 1936
Founding of Hydrierwerk Scholven AG in Scholven and Gelsenberg-Benzin AG in Horst; coal hydrogenation (Bergius-Pier process) into synthetic fuels
- 1943
Severe Allied air raid damage to the Scholven plant; production came to a standstill
- 1950/1951
Final operating license after conversion from coal to petroleum: Horst February 1950, Scholven April 1951
- 1955
Gelsenberg the largest fuel producer in the Federal Republic of Germany
- 1956–1963
Scholven diversifies: fertilizers (1956), polyethylene (1959), ammonia (1961), ethylene/propylene (1962), olefins (1963)
- 1970
Scholven-Chemie AG integrated into VEBA, renamed Veba-Chemie AG
- 1975
VEBA takes over Gelsenberg AG and incorporates it into Veba-Chemie AG
- 1978
VEBA acquires Chemische Werke Hüls AG; Veba-Chemie AG becomes Veba Oel AG
- 1982
Founding of Ruhr Oel GmbH as a 50/50 joint venture between Veba Oel AG and Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) with the Scholven and Horst refineries
- 1988
Acquisition of DHC Solvent Chemie GmbH in Mülheim an der Ruhr as a 100% subsidiary
- 1999
After the complete takeover of Aral, Veba Oel is restructured into three legally independent units
- 2002
BP acquires Veba Oel AG and thus 50% of Ruhr Oel GmbH
- 2011
Rosneft takes over the 50% stake from PDVSA (transaction value USD 1.6 billion)
- 2017
BP becomes sole owner of Ruhr Oel GmbH; end of the joint venture as of January 1, 2017
- 2026
Klesch Group takes over the Gelsenkirchen refinery from bp (takeover on August 1, 2026)