About MiRO

Records during our anniversary

In the year of its 25th anniversary, MiRO is facing great things: During the planned and scheduled maintenance and repair turnaround shutdown in MiRO’s works 1, we also successfully implement the largest ever project scope in MiRO's history. These measures will significantly improve the energy balance and production efficiency in several key units, making MiRO truly "fit for the future”. The execution of the enormous turnaround scope and associated project scope takes place at the peak of the Covid pandemic, and yet the so-called "Event21" is a huge success - and an immensely important milestone on the path towards our future.

In October, we celebrate MiRO's 25th anniversary since the merger in 1996. With the founding of MiRO in Karlsruhe in 1996, the foundation stone was laid for one of the most competitive refinery locations in Europe. During the 25 years since then, 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 energy products. More than 2 billion euros of investments flowed into our "steel and iron".

And we are continuing our success story... It remains exciting!

"Refuels" – Rethinking fuels

In January 2019, the joint project "ReFuels", funded by the state government of Baden-Württemberg, begins. Under the leadership of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 25 well-known partners from the automotive and supplier industries are working together with MiRO to investigate the competitiveness and suitability of synthetic fuels for everyday use and how this new technology can be integrated into an existing refinery infrastructure. For MiRO, the start of the project marks the start of a series of numerous other future oriented projects that will deal with the transformation of the site into a sustainable future.

Commitment to the location

For around 75 million Euros, the "Delayed Coker" (DC) conversion plant is equipped with new, modern coke drums. This enormous investment represents a significant improvement in the refinery's competitiveness and is therefore also a clear commitment by the MiRO shareholders to the Karlsruhe location. In the DC plant, heavy residues from the crude oil distillation are converted into marketable products. The second largest cargo crane in the world is required and utilzed to install the two 35 m tall drums which weigh more than 400 tonnes each.

MiRO warms-up Karlsruhe

In 2010, together with Stadtwerke Karlsruhe MiRO launches the "largest environmental project of Karlsruhe". Since then, process heat has been supplied into the municipal district heating network. Today, more than 90 megawatts supply more than 40,000 households. Around 60 percent of Karlsruhe's district heating demand now originates from MiRO's production. This avoids around 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

Organic is coming

Since September 2004, biocomponents – bio alcohol from agricultural production - are added to the Gasoline produced in Karlsruhe.

Sulphur-free fuels

Since November 2002, MiRO is producing only sulphur-free fuels, making it one of the first refineries in Germany to implement the third and final stage of the European Auto/Oil Programme (AOP) to reduce traffic-related emissions and produce modern and environmentally friendly fuels.

Two become one

In May, the merger of Oberrheinische Mineralölwerke GmbH (OMW) and the Esso refinery Karlsruhe is announced by the OMW shareholders and Esso A.G. Hamburg. The signing of the founding contract for Mineraloelraffinerie Oberrhein GmbH & Co. KG (MiRO) in October 1996 is an obvious economic consideration, because overcapacities in Europe combined with stagnating mineral oil product sales intensify competition.

Boosting investments

By the mid-1980s, almost 1 billion Deutsche Mark (0,5 billion Euro) have been invested in the construction of conversion plants for the conversion of heavy heating oil components into more marketable products such as Gas, Gasoline, Diesel and Light Heating Oil.

"Hunger" for mineral oil products is growing

After just a few years, the capacity of both refineries has to be doubled. The commissioning of the Transalpine Oil Pipeline (TAL) in 1967 made it possible to increase the supply of crude oil from Trieste accordingly.

"Feed in" for the first ton of crude oil

The press commented: "Oil city Karlsruhe: The former residence city has became an industrial centre – Karlsruhe's transformation has finally taken place through the refineries".

Birth of the "Oil City of Karlsruhe"

Due to the structural change in the German energy sector, the former dominant coal was increasingly replaced by crude oil. In 1959, Deutsche Erdöl AG (DEA) and ESSO AG therefore acquired two neighbouring properties near the Rhine from the city of Karlsruhe.