BP Kwinana Oil Refinery
The BP refinery is located on a 250 hectare site approximately 40 kms south of Perth.
Established in the early 1950’s, the refinery has been progressively expanded and upgraded to a current throughput of 5.8 million tons of crude oil per year (approximately 138,000 barrels, 20.67 million litres, per day) depending on operating requirements and crude oil type.
There are 145 storage tanks at BP Kwinana with an overall maximum storage capacity of 1,090 million litres. Aviation fuel, bitumen, diesel/fuel oil, hydrogen, kerosene, LPG [including propane and butane], leaded and unleaded petrol are produced.
Most products are used within Australia and New Zealand. BP Kwinana also provides cooling water for the nearby Kwinana Nitrogen Company and the CSBP fertilizer plant, sulphur for Coogee Chemicals, hydrogen for BOC Gases Australia and LPG for Wesfarmers and Boral.
In October 2020 it was announced that the oil refinery would close. A copy of the BP press release is available here.
Engineering Heritage Recognition Program
| Marker Type | Historic Engineering Marker (HEM) |
| Award Date | 25 October 2005 |
| Heritage Significance | Being the first oil refinery established in Western Australia, coming ‘on stream’ at a time when the State was lagging behind the Eastern States in industrial development, the supply of hydrocarbon products from the Kwinana refinery was a material factor in the enormous mining development which commenced in the late 1950s. This mining development followed by the North West Shelf LNG development, has made Western Australia one of the major entities in the Australian economy. |
| Nomination Document | Available here. |
| Ceremony Booklet Ceremony Report |
Available here. . |
| Plaque/Interpretation Panel | See above. |
