Asia is projected to spearhead global conventional refinery capacity additions between 2026 and 2030, driven by a substantial pipeline of new-build and expansion projects across the region, according to a new industry report.
The region is also expected to host the highest number of upcoming refinery projects worldwide, underscoring sustained investment in refining infrastructure aimed at meeting rising domestic fuel demand and reinforcing energy supply security.
Industry analysts point to expansion projects as a particularly significant driver of growth across Asia, with many refiners choosing to add capacity to existing facilities rather than depend solely on greenfield developments.
Among the standout examples is the Vadinar CDU Expansion in India, which ranks as the largest upcoming crude distillation unit project not only in Asia but globally.
The project is designed to address surging domestic fuel consumption while bolstering India’s broader national energy security objectives.
New refinery construction is also playing a major role in expanding Asia’s overall refining capacity, with notable activity concentrated in countries such as China and Pakistan.
This dual approach, building new facilities while simultaneously upgrading processing capacity at existing refineries, reflects a broader regional strategy to strengthen the resilience and scale of the refining sector.
India and China have emerged as the two principal contributors to Asia’s refinery development pipeline.
India currently holds the largest number of projects in the region, with expansion initiatives proving especially important in increasing both refining throughput and capacity across other associated processing units.
China, for its part, continues to advance new refinery developments, including the Caofeidian V and Gulei projects, alongside several additional facilities that add to the country’s growing refining footprint.
The broader project pipeline across Asia spans multiple stages of development.
A considerable share of projects have already reached the construction phase, while others remain in earlier feasibility and approval stages.
This spread across development timelines suggests that the bulk of new capacity additions will likely materialise toward the latter half of the decade, as projects move from planning into execution.
Taken together, the trends point to a refining landscape in Asia that is expanding through a combination of entirely new facilities and targeted upgrades to established refining assets.
This dual-track growth strategy is expected to help the region keep pace with rising fuel consumption tied to expanding economies and growing populations, while also positioning individual countries to reduce reliance on imported refined products.
The findings come amid a global refining environment in which capacity growth is increasingly concentrated in regions with strong underlying demand fundamentals.
As mature refining markets in other parts of the world scale back or consolidate capacity, Asia’s continued build-out reflects its distinct position as a centre of both energy consumption growth and industrial investment.
Further details on the global outlook for conventional refinery development can be found in GlobalDatas new report.