World's Best Refineries Analysis Report

Learn what sets the World’s Best refineries apart from the rest, and how you can improve your performance.

The World’s Best Refineries report looks beyond the benchmarking numbers of the Worldwide Fuels Refinery Performance Analysis (Fuels Study) to examine a special group of refineries—World’s Best Peer Group. The peer group identifies refineries that were the best at the “business” of refining over three study cycles (six years).

Solomon evaluated key refinery financial metrics together with key operating metrics using a balanced scorecard approach to avoid too much focus on operating costs. We also considered regional economic environments to avoid penalizing a refinery for its location.

World's Best Refineries Webinar - Sustainable Performance in Uncertain Times

Discover key insights to improve your refinery’s competitive performance for the long run. Learn how the World’s Best Refineries sustain world-leading performance and are better prepared to survive global uncertainty.

Recording and Speaker Notes


The 2016, 2018, and 2020 studies each include data from more than 280 refineries, representing approximately 85% of the world’s refining capacity. To be considered for this analysis, a refinery had to attain first- or second-quartile performance in four Solomon metrics over three consecutive Fuels Study cycles (e.g., 2016, 2018, and 2020):

  • Operational Availability (OA)
  • Energy Intensity Index™ (EII®)
  • Maintenance Cost Efficiency Index™ (MEI™)
  • Return on Investment (ROI)

The screening process resulted in the World’s Best Peer Group of only 12 refineries worldwide. If you would like a private presentation or report on the analysis, or where you rank in comparison, please contact us and we will be happy to arrange something with you.

World’s Best Refineries Characteristics

20% more energy efficient

40% of the maintenance cost

30% more reliable

6% higher utilization

60% more profitable

What’s included?

Written report:

  • Executive Summary
  • Selection Process
  • Characteristics and Performance of the World’s Best
  • Key Solomon Performance Metrics
  • Conclusions and The Path Forward

On-site presentation:

  • Half-day presentation and discussion with Solomon experts
  • For prior participants, client-specific data can be added to charts and graphs (additional cost)
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