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Aerial view of the Lytton Refinery in Brisbane, Queensland | Source: Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (April 22, 2026)

Lytton Refinery is located at Lytton on the Brisbane River, Queensland, and is one of two crude oil refineries operating in Australia. The refinery was commissioned in 1965 by Amoco Australia and was acquired by Caltex Australia in 1984; it has been operated by Ampol Limited (formerly Caltex Australia) since the company’s rebranding in 2020. Ampol has previously announced a review of the refinery’s long-term viability in 2020, concluding with a decision to continue operations, supported by the Australian Government’s Fuel Security Services Payment program, which provides support payments to Australia’s two remaining refineries through to mid-2027.

The refinery has a crude oil processing capacity of approximately 109,000 barrels per day. Its crude slate comprises predominantly Australian domestic crudes — principally from the Cooper Basin and Western Australian fields — supplemented by imported crudes from Southeast Asia and West Africa, delivered via the refinery’s dedicated crude import jetty on the Brisbane River.

Major process units include a crude distillation unit, fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) for gasoline production, catalytic reformer, alkylation unit, hydrodesulphurisation units for diesel and gasoline, and an isomerisation unit. The refinery produces ultra-low sulphur petrol and diesel meeting Australian fuel quality standards, jet fuel (supplying Brisbane Airport), LPG, bitumen, and marine fuels. Lytton is Queensland’s only refinery and supplies the majority of the state’s refined product demand, with surplus product distributed to the national market.

Ampol has announced development plans centred on future fuels at the Lytton site, including a proposed renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility using hydroprocessing technology, as part of the company’s energy transition strategy. Ampol has also progressed plans for hydrogen refuelling infrastructure at Lytton.