Oil Recycling Plant is a 1st For Stoke

Date: August 2006 

A new industry is coming to Stoke-on-Trent. A Staffordshire company has plans to refurbish a derelict oil refinery in Sneyd Hill, Stoke-on-Trent to establish a small-scale Waste Oil Refinery to recycle used oil and create over 25 jobs for local people.

Whelan Refining Ltd - which has received financial backing from local and national regeneration initiatives - The North Staffordshire Risk Capital Fund; Michelin Development; Bridges Community Ventures, Advantage West Midlands and The Advantage Enterprise and Innovation Fund, managed by Catapult Venture Managers - starts work on refurbishing the refinery in September of this year. Over the next month the company will be holding a series of ‘open house’ sessions for the public so they can get to know more about the refinery and the opportunities for the local area.

The refinery will cost about £2m to re-engineer and refurbish and the company will attempt to source supplies and skills locally. MD of Whelan Refining Ltd, John Whelan says: “This is a great opportunity for the ongoing regeneration of the local area. The company will employ about 25 people and will provide training opportunities for the young people of the city. We will be making a difference from Day One!”

There are over 300 million litres of Waste Oil collected in the UK every year and the company will be re-refining 50 million litres of it to produce Base Oil – the base for all industrial and automotive lubricants. Waste Oil is primarily used lubricating oil from automotive use – it is ‘used engine oil’ from cars/trucks/buses and ships. It is not highly flammable in the same way that petrol is. However, it is very valuable. At a time when oil and oil products are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive, Whelan Refining Limited will be recycling and producing the single most valuable product obtainable from the Crude Oil ‘barrel’.


Base Oil is nearly twice as valuable as Petrol or Diesel and it is scarce – it is only 1% of a crude oil refinery’s output. Used engine oil can be recycled and re-refined. Whelan Refining Ltd will be the only re-refinery in the UK. Similar technology and processes are used all over the world.

John Whelan adds: "Our process recovers a valuable raw material. It's good for the environment. We will create new, skilled jobs and provide training for the young. The refinery development will have a significant and beneficial knock-on effect to local suppliers, services and the community generally.

When I look into the future I see a facility of which the City of Stoke on Trent can be proud.”

ENDS
Media Enquiries 

For further information please contact Stephanie Freeman at FM Marketing on 01270 883782 or 07961 149399. 

Editors Note
The Advantage Enterprise and Innovation Fund is funded by Advantage West Midlands and the European Regional Development Fund and managed by Catapult Venture Managers.

Advantage West Midlands supported Whelan Refining through a Selective Finance for Investment in England grant.