Refineries

Our business venture with ConocoPhillips provides integration of upstream enhanced oil operations and downstream refining. This venture provides us with a 50 percent interest in the Wood River (Illinois) and Borger (Texas) refineries; in return, ConocoPhillips has a 50 percent interest in our Foster Creek and Christina Lake SAGD projects in the Athabasca region in northeast Alberta.

This interest in two quality refineries is a strategic fit for Cenovus and allows us to capture the full value from crude oil production through to refined products such as diesel, gasoline and jet fuel.

Both Cenovus and ConocoPhillips have positive industry track records in terms of safety and environmental performance. Our shared experience in these areas provides opportunities for continuous improvement.


Wood River Refinery

Located in Roxana, Illinois, the Wood River Refinery has a processing capacity of approximately 356,000 barrels per day. It processes crude oils to produce gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, petrochemical feedstocks and asphalt.


CORE project completed

In November 2011, the coker and refinery expansion (CORE) project was completed. The new four-drum coker has a capacity of 65,000 barrels per day. The project's completion has expanded our heavy oil upgrading capacity and increased the production of clean transportation fuels for the U.S. Midwest market, including St. Louis and Chicago. The CORE project took about three years to build, with a total cost of US$3.8 billion (US$1.9 billion to Cenovus). Other highlights include:

  • Increasing clean product yield by 10 percent to approximately 85 percent
  • Logging 15 million consecutive work hours without a lost time injury


Borger Refinery

Located in Borger, Texas, this refinery has a processing capacity of approximately 146,000 barrels per day of crude oil and approximately 45,000 barrels per day of NGLs. It produces gasoline, diesel and jet fuel along with NGLs and solvents. In July 2007, a new coker, with a capacity of approximately 25,000 barrels per day, was brought into service, enabling the refinery to process heavy oil blends.

Coker Project (completed in 2007):

  • Constructed new 25,000 bbls/d coker unit and associated facilities
  • Added approximately 35,000 bbls/d of heavy crude oil refining capacity