# Refining and reforming: Value chain

Who licenses, builds and runs the world's refineries

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_refining/valuechain/

Who licenses, builds and runs the world's refineries What this tab covers Who does what, from equipment makers to builders, owners, operators, traders and users, with the leading companies at each step.

Process licensors and catalyst makers supply the chemistry, engineering firms build the plants, equipment makers supply columns, compressors and reactors, and oil companies or industrial gas firms run them. World refining capacity was about 103.8 million barrels a day in 2024 and refinery runs about 86.0 million b/d, roughly 83% utilisation (calculated from OPEC data); 36% of capacity is in Asia Pacific.

#### The chain
 Process licensors and catalysts Engineering and construction (EPC) Equipment and internals Hydrogen and gasification technology Refinery owners and operators Users

| Stage | What happens | Leading companies |
|---|---|---|
| **Process licensors and catalysts** | Own the designs for cracking, reforming and hydrogen units and sell catalysts and know-how (hydrogen reformer leaders as listed by research firm Thunder Said Energy). | Honeywell UOP, part of Honeywell Technologies, which completed its purchase of Johnson Matthey Catalyst Technologies in July 2026 (United States) Topsoe (Denmark) KBR (United States) Casale (Switzerland) thyssenkrupp Uhde (Germany)^[8](https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/dangote-refinery-lagos/)^[16](https://thundersaidenergy.com/downloads/hydrogen-reformers-technology-leaders/)^[17](https://www.honeywell.com/us/en/news/press-releases/2026/07/honeywell-technologies-completes-acquisition-of-johnson-matthey-s-catalyst-technologies-business) |
| **Engineering and construction (EPC)** | Design and build the plant. Dangote's 650,000 barrel a day refinery in Nigeria, which began producing diesel and jet fuel in January 2024, used Engineers India for engineering and commissioning support; Engineers India also supports its planned expansion to 1.4 million b/d. | Engineers India (India)^[8](https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/dangote-refinery-lagos/)^[18](https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/crude-oil/011424-nigerias-long-awaited-dangote-refinery-starts-diesel-jet-fuel-output)^[20](https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/news/eil-secures-450m-epcm-role-for-dangotes-refinery-in-kenya/) |
| **Equipment and internals** | Columns, trays and packings, compressors, tanks, control systems. | Sulzer (Switzerland) Everllence, formerly MAN Energy Solutions (Germany) HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (South Korea) Schneider Electric (France)^[8](https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/dangote-refinery-lagos/) |
| **Hydrogen and gasification technology** | Industrial gas firms build and often own hydrogen plants on refinery sites; gasification licences are concentrated. | Air Liquide (France), builder of Dangote's two SMR units Linde (domiciled in Ireland, head offices in the United Kingdom and United States) Air Products (United States), owner of the former GE and Shell gasification technologies Sasol (South Africa)^[8](https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/dangote-refinery-lagos/)^[12](https://netl.doe.gov/research/Coal/energy-systems/gasification/gasifipedia/sasol)^[14](https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/air-products-buys-shell-s-coal-gasification-business/)^[15](https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/air-products-to-buy-general-electric-s-gasification-business/)^[16](https://thundersaidenergy.com/downloads/hydrogen-reformers-technology-leaders/) |
| **Refinery owners and operators** | World capacity by region in 2023: Asia Pacific 37.5, North America 21.9, Europe 14.9, Middle East 11.6 million b/d (about 103.5 in total, calculated). The United States had 132 refineries with 18.4 million barrels per calendar day in January 2025; the largest refiners are Marathon, Valero and ExxonMobil, and Motiva's Port Arthur is the largest single refinery by calendar-day capacity. | Marathon Petroleum (United States) Valero (United States) ExxonMobil (United States) Motiva (United States) Dangote (Nigeria) CHN Energy Ningxia Coal Industry, formerly Shenhua Ningxia Coal Group (China), coal-to-liquids^[3](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65624)^[4](https://fuelseurope.eu/uploads/files/modules/documents/file/1751960532_GK5qfRluxIPywL65JGP6Ljuwu0XMJPhmO7L6Qtln.pdf)^[8](https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/dangote-refinery-lagos/)^[13](https://www.sustainable-carbon.org/blogs/visiting-the-worlds-biggest-single-coal-to-liquid-project-in-yinchuan-china/)^[18](https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/crude-oil/011424-nigerias-long-awaited-dangote-refinery-starts-diesel-jet-fuel-output)^[19](https://www.opec.org/pr-detail/568-2-july-2025.html) |
| **Users** | Drivers, airlines, shippers and petrochemical plants; hydrogen production reached almost 100 Mt in 2024, less than 1% of it low-emission. | ^[11](https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2025/production-highlights-2) |

#### Sources

1. [U.S. refining capacity largely unchanged as of January 2025](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65624) US Energy Information Administration, Today in Energy, 2025
2. [Statistical Report 2025 (Energy Institute data on refining capacity by region, 2023)](https://fuelseurope.eu/uploads/files/modules/documents/file/1751960532_GK5qfRluxIPywL65JGP6Ljuwu0XMJPhmO7L6Qtln.pdf) FuelsEurope, 2025
3. [Dangote Refinery, Lagos (project profile, 2021; completion dates in it are out of date)](https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/dangote-refinery-lagos/) NS Energy, 2021
4. [Global Hydrogen Review 2025: Production highlights](https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2025/production-highlights-2) International Energy Agency, 2025
5. [Gasifipedia: Sasol](https://netl.doe.gov/research/Coal/energy-systems/gasification/gasifipedia/sasol) National Energy Technology Laboratory, US DOE, 2024
6. [Visiting the world's biggest single coal-to-liquid project in Yinchuan, China](https://www.sustainable-carbon.org/blogs/visiting-the-worlds-biggest-single-coal-to-liquid-project-in-yinchuan-china/) IEA Clean Coal Centre (sustainable-carbon.org), 2017
7. [Air Products buys Shell's coal gasification business](https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/air-products-buys-shell-s-coal-gasification-business/) The Chemical Engineer (IChemE), 2018
8. [Air Products to buy General Electric's gasification business](https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/air-products-to-buy-general-electric-s-gasification-business/) The Chemical Engineer (IChemE), 2018
9. [Hydrogen reformers: technology leaders (research firm summary)](https://thundersaidenergy.com/downloads/hydrogen-reformers-technology-leaders/) Thunder Said Energy, 2023
10. [Honeywell Technologies Completes Acquisition of Johnson Matthey's Catalyst Technologies Business](https://www.honeywell.com/us/en/news/press-releases/2026/07/honeywell-technologies-completes-acquisition-of-johnson-matthey-s-catalyst-technologies-business) Honeywell, 2026
11. [Nigeria's long-awaited Dangote refinery starts diesel, jet fuel output](https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/crude-oil/011424-nigerias-long-awaited-dangote-refinery-starts-diesel-jet-fuel-output) S&P Global Commodity Insights, 2024
12. [Annual Statistical Bulletin 2025 press release (world refinery capacity and throughput, 2024)](https://www.opec.org/pr-detail/568-2-july-2025.html) OPEC, 2025
13. [EIL secures 450m EPCM role for Dangote's refinery in Kenya](https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/news/eil-secures-450m-epcm-role-for-dangotes-refinery-in-kenya/) NS Energy, 2026

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_refining/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_refining/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_refining/correlation/index.md)
- [Science and limits](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_refining/science/index.md)
- [Unit economics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_refining/economics/index.md)
- [Engineering methods](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_refining/methods/index.md)
- [Equipment and suppliers](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_refining/equipment/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_refining/links/index.md)