Oil terminals are a key component of the energy supply industry in Ireland which is extensively based on the import, production and distribution of refined petroleum products. Some crude oil is imported for processing at Ireland's only oil refinery.
Background
Oil terminals are key facilities for the import, export, storage, blending, transfer and distribution of oil and
petroleum product
Petroleum products are materials derived from crude oil (petroleum) as it is processed in oil refineries. Unlike petrochemicals, which are a collection of well-defined usually pure organic compounds, petroleum products are complex mixtures. Mos ...
s. Terminals are located at coastal sites to facilitate the offloading and loading of coastal shipping. Most terminals have road tanker loading equipment for local distribution of products to industrial, commercial and domestic users. The products handled include
petrol
Gasoline (North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When formul ...
,
diesel, jet kerosene, fuel oil and heating oil.
List of oil terminals in Ireland
The table summarises details of the location and operation of the oil terminals in Ireland.
Strategic oil reserves
Under the National Oil Reserves Agency Act 2007 the
National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) is responsible for ensuring that Ireland retains a minimum of 90 days stock of oil and petroleum products in the event that supplies are disrupted. The
Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment () is a department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors and regulates, protects and develops the natural resources of Ireland. ...
(DECC) specifies annually the volumes of oil stocks to be held by NORA. The current minimum (2021) level of stock is:
* 1,416,340 tonnes of refined product, (Petrol, Diesel, Gas Oil, Kerosene, and Jet Fuel)
* 70,000 tonnes of Crude Oil.
The National Oil Reserves Agency holds about 72% of its oil stocks in Ireland, and the balance abroad. In Ireland stocks are held in some of the above oil storage facilities including Dublin, Cork (Whitegate Refinery), Whiddy Island (Bantry Bay), Foynes, Shannon, Tarbert (power station), and Galway. Stocks are also held at Derry and Kilroot in Northern Ireland.
Oil imports
The total import of oil and oil products into Ireland over the period 1990 to 2019 is shown by the graph. The quantity is in thousand
tonnes of oil equivalent.
See also
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Shannon Foynes Port
Shannon Foynes Port () is a port operating company managing the operations of cargo facilities within the Shannon Estuary. It is the second largest port in Ireland. It is operated and managed by the Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC), whose main ...
*
Oil terminal
An oil terminal (also called a tank farm, tankfarm, oil installation or oil depot) is an industrial facility for the storage of oil, petroleum and petrochemical products, and from which these Petroleum product, products are transported to end u ...
s
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Oil terminals in the United Kingdom (for oil terminals in Northern Ireland)
*
List of power stations in the Republic of Ireland
References
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Fossil fuels
Petroleum in Ireland
Energy infrastructure in the Republic of Ireland
Energy infrastructure in Ireland
Fossil fuels in the Republic of Ireland
Oil terminals