Baniyas Refinery

Baniyas Refinery
Aerial view of Baniyas
Baniyas Refinery is located in Syria
Baniyas Refinery
Location of Baniyas Refinery within Syria
Location
Refinery details
OwnerBaniyas Oil Company
Capacity125,000 barrels per day (19,900 m3/d)
Refining units4
Websitebrc.sy

The Baniyas Refinery (Arabic: مصفاة بانياس, romanized: Miṣfāh Bāniyās) is an oil refinery located north of Baniyas, Syria. It is the largest oil refinery in Syria.[1] It is owned by the Baniyas Oil Company, which is managed by the Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources.[2] Of its four refining units, two process light crude, originally configured for Euphrates Valley crude, and two process heavy crude, originally configured for Suwayda crude.[3][4] Pipelines connect the refinery to oil fields in Deir ez-Zor and Al-Hasakah.[5] The refinery houses a thermal power station[6] that runs on fuel oil and has an installed capacity of 30 MW.[3]

During the Syrian civil war, the refinery processed up to 125,000 barrels per day imported from Iran by oil tankers,[5][3] which docked at Baniyas oil terminal.[7] Following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, it was forced to temporarily halt operations due to the cessation of Iranian imports.[1] In September 2025, the refinery received deliveries of imported equipment as part of a modernisation project.[8]

Several incidents have occurred at the facility. In 2019, an explosion during site maintenance killed a worker.[9] In August 2021, a fuel leak from the refinery power plant caused an oil spill along the Syrian coast.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Dadouch, Sarah (2024-12-19). "Syria's largest refinery stops operating as Iran oil flow ceases". Financial Times. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  2. ↑ "The Baniyas Refinery Company". OpenSanctions.org. 1974. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  3. 1 2 3 Butter, David (July 2015). Syria’s Economy: Picking up the Pieces (PDF). Chatham House. pp. 19–22.
  4. ↑ Butter, David (2014-04-02). "Fueling Conflict: Syria's War for Oil and Gas". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
  5. 1 2 Zwijnenburg, Wim (2019-07-31). "Iranian Oil Spills on Syria's Shores: A Brief OSINT Overview of an Environmental Incident". Bellingcat. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  6. 1 2 "Cyprus on alert as Syrian oil slick spreads across Mediterranean". BBC News. 2021-08-31. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  7. ↑ "Iranian Oil Tanker Arrives at Baniyas Amidst Syria's Fuel Crisis". The Syrian Observer. 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
  8. ↑ "Baniyas Refinery Receives Special Equipment to Improve Petroleum Production". Syrian Arab News Agency. 2025-09-06. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  9. ↑ Al-Khalidi, Suleiman. "Syria's oil minister says production unit in Banias refinery damaged in explosion". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2024-12-21.