News

Whitegate to avoid closure?

Greg Garland, chief executive of Phillips 66, has revealed that a number potential buyers have expressed interest in acquiring Ireland’s only refinery, possibly saving it from closure.
“We do have people interested in Whitegate,” he said of the Cork-based plant which employs 200 staff.
The refinery, which has operated in east Cork for nearly 55 years and supplies approximately a third of the country’s oil, requires extensive modernisation and closure looked likely if it was not sold.
Michael Martin, Fianna Fail leader earlier this summer, commented: “The threat to its future has serious implications for Ireland’s energy supply and consequently for our economy.”
Phillips 66 is pulling out of Ireland completely, selling its wholesale marketing business and a storage terminal in Bantry Bay.