About MiRO

Records in the anniversary year

In the year of its 25th anniversary, MiRO has big plans: along with the scheduled maintenance and repair shutdown of Plant 1, the largest project package in MiRO’s history is successfully implemented in spring. These measures significantly improve energy balance and production efficiency in a number of key units, making MiRO “fit” for the future. The execution of this massive shutdown and project volume takes place in the midst of the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and yet the so-called “Event21” is a complete success – and an immensely important milestone on the path to the future.

In October, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of MiRO since the merger in 1996. The founding of MiRO in Karlsruhe in 1996 laid the foundation for one of the most competitive refinery locations in Europe. Over the past 25 years, around 350 million tons of crude oil have been refined into gasoline, diesel, heating oil, and other modern high-performance products to supply the southwest with mobility and warmth. More than 2 billion euros have been invested in “steel and iron.”

And we continue to write our success story… Exciting times ahead!

“Refuels” – Rethinking fuel

In January 2019, the collaborative project “ReFuels,” funded by the state government of Baden-Württemberg, was launched. Led by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 25 renowned partners from the automotive and supplier industries, together with MiRO, are investigating the competitiveness and practicality of synthetic fuels, as well as how this new technology can be integrated into existing refinery infrastructure. The start of the project marks the beginning of a series of numerous future-oriented projects for MiRO, all focused on transforming the site into a sustainable future.

Commitment to the location

For around 75 million euros, the “Delayed Coker” conversion unit will be equipped with new, modern vessels. This substantial investment represents a significant improvement in the refinery’s competitiveness and is a clear commitment from the shareholders to the Karlsruhe location. In the DC unit, heavy residues from crude oil distillation are converted into market-ready products. The second-largest crane in the world will be used to install the two vessels, each 35 meters long and weighing over 400 tons.

MiRO fuels warmth for Karlsruhe

In 2010, MiRO, together with the Karlsruhe municipal utility company (Stadtwerke Karlsruhe), launched the “largest environmental project in Karlsruhe.” Since then, process heat has been fed into the city’s district heating network. Today, 90 megawatts supply more than 40,000 households. Approximately 60 percent of Karlsruhe’s district heating now comes from MiRO’s production. This reduces or prevents around 100,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Bio-components are being introduced

Since September 2004, bio-components - bioalcohol from agricultural production - have been added to gasoline in Karlsruhe.

Sulfur-free fuels

Since November 2002, MiRO has been producing only sulfur-free fuels, becoming one of the first refineries in Germany to implement the third and final stage of the European Auto/Oil Program (AOP) to reduce traffic-related emissions and produce modern, environmentally friendly fuels.

Two become one

In May, the merger of Oberrheinische Mineralölwerke GmbH (OMW) and the Esso Refinery Karlsruhe was announced by OMW shareholders and Esso A.G. Hamburg. The signing of the founding contract for Mineraloelraffinerie Oberrhein GmbH & Co. KG (MiRO) in October 1996 was a “logical” economic decision, as overcapacity in Europe, coupled with stagnant oil sales, intensified competition.

Investment offensive

By the mid-1980s, nearly 1 billion Deutsche Marks had been invested across both sites in the construction of conversion units to transform heavy heating oil components into more marketable products such as gas, gasoline, diesel, and light heating oil.

“Hunger” for petroleum grows

After just a few years, the capacity of both refineries had to be doubled. With the commissioning of the Transalpine Oil Pipeline (TAL) in 1967, the supply of crude oil from Trieste could be increased accordingly.

“Feed in” for the first ton of crude oil

Oil City Karlsruhe: From a royal residence to an industrial center – Karlsruhe’s transformation has been fully realized through the refineries.

The birth of “Oil City Karlsruhe”

Due to the structural changes in the German energy sector, dominant coal was increasingly replaced by petroleum. In 1959, Deutsche Erdöl AG (DEA) and ESSO AG therefore acquired two adjacent plots of land on the Rhine from the city of Karlsruhe.