Downstream – working across our value chains
Our Downstream segment is the product and service-led arm of BP, focused on fuels, lubricants and petrochemicals
It is responsible for the refining, manufacturing, marketing, transportation, and supply and trading of crude oil, petroleum, petrochemicals products and related services to wholesale and retail customers.
We aim to be excellent in the markets in which we choose to participate – those that allow BP to serve the major energy markets of the world. Our aim is to operate all of our businesses as safe and reliable value chains, where we participate in multiple stages of each supply chain, as we believe that way we can deliver greater returns than would arise from owning a collection of discrete assets. These value chains, combined with our advantaged manufacturing operations and expertise in technology, allow us to pursue competitive returns and sustainable growth, as we serve customers and promote BP and our brands through high quality products. As in our Upstream segment, we will sell assets when we believe that to do so would generate more value than retaining them in our own portfolio.
We aim to be excellent in the markets in which we choose to participate – those that allow BP to serve the major energy markets of the world. Our aim is to operate all of our businesses as safe and reliable value chains, where we participate in multiple stages of each supply chain, as we believe that way we can deliver greater returns than would arise from owning a collection of discrete assets. These value chains, combined with our advantaged manufacturing operations and expertise in technology, allow us to pursue competitive returns and sustainable growth, as we serve customers and promote BP and our brands through high quality products. As in our Upstream segment, we will sell assets when we believe that to do so would generate more value than retaining them in our own portfolio.
Technology makes a critical contribution to our downstream activities. Through the research, development and deployment of a wide range of technologies, processes and techniques, we aim to enhance safety and risk management, improve our margins, increase efficiency and reliability, and create new market opportunities.
- Refining technology
Optimizes crude oil selection, utilization and refinery processing capability to produce high-quality petroleum products. End products: fuels, oils, bitumen, coke. - Fuels technology
Develops and implements new high-efficiency fuel products. End products: gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, marine fuel. - Lubricants technology
Develops unique lubricants and high-performance fluids for transportation and industrial applications. End products: lubricants. - Petrochemicals technology
Develops, deploys and optimizes proprietary technologies to produce high-value petrochemicals intermediates. End products: solvents/resins, plastics, textiles/fibres, paints. - Conversion technology
Conversion of unconventional feedstocks, including renewables, to fuels and petrochemicals.
Our fuels business sells refined petroleum products including gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel and liquefied petroleum gas. Within the fuels business, fuels value chains integrate the activities of refining, logistics, marketing, and supply and trading on a regional basis. This provides the opportunity to optimize our activities – from crude oil purchases to end-consumer sales – all the way through our refineries, terminals, pipelines and retail stations.
Our lubricants business is involved in manufacturing and marketing lubricants and related services to markets around the world. We add value through the strength of our brands and through strategic collaboration with original equipment manufacturing partners where we seek to develop new high performance lubricants such as Castrol EDGE.
Our global petrochemicals business manufactures and markets petrochemicals that are used in many everyday products, such as paints, plastic bottles and textiles. Value is derived from our strong customer relationships and joint-venture partners, and through the application of our world-class, proprietary technology.
Our global petrochemicals business manufactures and markets petrochemicals that are used in many everyday products, such as paints, plastic bottles and textiles. Value is derived from our strong customer relationships and joint-venture partners, and through the application of our world-class, proprietary technology.
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