The Esso refinery in Fos-sur-Mer officially changed flag on 1is November, after Rhône Énergies took over the site of the French subsidiary of ExxonMobil.
The Swiss buyer, made up of the Americans from Entara, refinery operator and the Swiss oil broker Trafigura, has appointed Hervé Fonlupt, head of Esso operations, to manage the site. Presented as “ benefiting from 30 years of experience in the energy sector “, the latter will have the task of supervising the processing of 140,000 barrels of crude oil daily by the refinery, as well as ensuring the safety of the 310 workers at this major industrial site in the industrial zone.
For his first project of this kind in France, the new owner stated in his press release of 1is November his desire to “ prioritize employee health and safety, environmental performance and social dialogue ».
A sense of priorities surely welcome given the challenges of decarbonization and transformation of industry and the territory, at the dawn of the second quarter of the 21ste century. The general director of Rhône Énergies, Nicholas Myerson, intends “ capitalize on existing operational excellence and develop additional capacities to support the refinery in the energy transition. We are committed to meeting the region's energy needs », putting into perspective the seven million tonnes of barrels of oil produced per year on site.
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