UK demand for oil products fell 23.4% in 2020, according to UKPIA review

UK demand for oil products fell by 23.4% in 2020, whilst UK GDP as a whole fell by 9.8%, according to the latest Statistical Review of the UK downstream industry from UKPIA, which represents eight oil refining and marketing companies that operate the six major oil refineries in the UK and source over 85% of the transport fuels used in the country.

The analysis also shows that greenhouse gas (GHG) savings of 5.4mn tonnes of CO₂e were achieved in 2019 from biofuels replacing fossil fuels; while over 36,000 public electric vehicle (EV) charging connectors were available in the UK in 2020, an increase of 24% compared to 2019.

Commenting on the Review, UKPIA’s Director-General, Stephen Marcos Jones, says: ‘Several new statistical analyses have been included in this year’s publication, most notably on GHG savings from biofuels and the impact of COVID-19 on the sector. 2020 was one of the most extraordinary years for the world, not least for the downstream industry. The Statistical Review clearly shows the impact of COVID-19 government interventions in restricting people’s mobility, resulting in a significant reduction of demand for downstream products. Even though it was such a challenging year, the sector continued to deliver in pursuit of net zero, with a large increase in UK biofuel deliveries and the growth of the UK’s EV charging infrastructure.’