The United Kingdom petroleum pipeline network is principally made up of three pipelines systems: the former Government Pipeline and Storage System (GPSS) now the

Exolum Pipeline System The Exolum Pipeline System, formerly the CLH Pipeline System and the Government Pipelines and Storage System (GPSS), is a fuel pipeline system in the United Kingdom. Originally constructed by the government to supply fuel to airfields in W ...

; the

Esso Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (from the phon ...

pipelines (principally the mainline and midlines), and the United Kingdom Oil Pipelines (UKOP) and associated pipelines. There are also several other lines including the Fina line built around 1990 that runs from

North Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Lincolnshire, England. At the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census, it had a population of 167,446. T ...

to the Buncefield oil depot near Hemel Hempstead.Tim Whittle: Fuelling the Wars – PLUTO and the Secret Pipeline Network 1936 to 2015 published 2017.

GPSS

The GPSS was originally constructed between 1941 and 1944 and then extended after the war, most notably during the 1950s, 1970s and 1980s. The first commercial pipeline to be constructed in the United Kingdom was built in 1959 by Shell-Mex and BP from the GPSS depot at Walton on Thames to Heathrow Airport. This pipeline now forms part of UKOP (West London). In 1963 Esso built their own pipeline from their Fawley refinery to London Heathrow. The Esso Main and Midlines constructed in the 1970s and 1980s respectively. A section of the Esso Fawley to London pipeline, between Boorley Green,

Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the United Kingdom 2011 census, 2011 census. The town ...

and

Hounslow Hounslow ( ) is a large suburban district of West London, England, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 14 metropolitan cen ...

, was replaced between 2021 and 2023. For a further description see

UKOP

The United Kingdom Oil Pipeline (UKOP) is an oil products pipeline opened in 1969 and connecting the two (then)

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

refineries A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value. Types of refineries Different types of refineries a ...

of Stanlow (

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

) and

Shell Haven Shell Haven was a port on the north bank of the Thames Estuary at the eastern end of Thurrock, Essex, England and then an oil refinery. The refinery closed in 1999 and the site was purchased by DP World who received planning consent in May 2007 ...

(

Thames Estuary The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain. Limits An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salinit ...

). UKOP is owned by a consortium of five shareholders Essar Midlands Ltd, BP, Shell, Valero and Total. UKOP is administered and operated by the British Pipeline Agency (BPA), which is jointly owned by

and BP. As part of the UKOP network, in 1982 BPA began work a pipeline from Walton to Gatwick and this was substantively complete by the end of the year. However, in 1983 the pipeline had to be shut down and was not brought back into operation until 1984. In 1985 the UKOP pipeline from Kingsbury to Buncefield was commissioned. UKOP transports 7.5 million tonnes of mixed products each year distributed to major oil terminals at Buncefield and

Kingsbury Kingsbury may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Kingsbury, London, a district of northwest London in the borough of Brent ** Kingsbury tube station, London Underground station * Kingsbury, Warwickshire, a village and civil parish in Warwickshi ...

with spurs to

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

and

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

. UKOP now draws its products from Essar Stanlow in the north, with smaller volumes from tankage at

. UKOP carries two grades of

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 ...

, two grades of

kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...

(including

Jet A-1 Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel (ATF, also abbreviated avtur) is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is colorless to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial ...

) and two grades of gas oil-

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...

. To ensure safety and integrity, the pipeline is patrolled by helicopter every two weeks.

Petroleum product pipelines

A list of UK petroleum pipelines. Pipelines are multi-product lines with batches of product separated by

pigs The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

, except for single product lines where shown, for example aviation kerosene.

Crude oil pipelines

In addition to the petroleum products pipelines there are a number of crude oil pipelines transporting crude oil from offshore installations to coastal terminals and from terminals to refineries. The sources give various and conflicting lengths and capacities.

GPSS

UKOP

Petroleum product pipelines

Crude oil pipelines

See also

References

Further reading