Germany is not a major oil producer, but it remains one of Europe’s most important oil markets. Its position comes from the size of its economy, extensive transport system, petrochemical industry and large refining base rather than from domestic crude reserves.
Almost all crude oil processed or consumed in Germany must arrive from abroad. Tankers deliver supplies through North Sea ports, while pipelines connect refineries with terminals in Germany and neighboring countries. This makes the oil sector a question of logistics, refining and supply security as much as production.
Oil demand is expected to decline as electric vehicles, efficiency measures and lower-carbon fuels expand. However, petroleum continues to serve road transport, aviation, shipping, heating and chemical manufacturing. Germany’s challenge is therefore not an immediate exit from oil. It is the management of a large established industry while its traditional markets gradually contract.
Germany’s Oil Supply Begins at Ports and Pipelines
Germany has limited domestic crude oil production. Small fields remain active, particularly in Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, but their contribution is minor compared with national demand. Domestic production totaled about 1.6 million tonnes in 2024, leaving the country dependent on imports for almost its entire crude supply.
Germany imported approximately 78.4 million tonnes of crude oil in 2024 according to trade data used by the Working Group on Energy Balances. A separate official mineral-oil series placed the total at 83.9 million tonnes because of differences in statistical methods. Both figures demonstrate the scale of Germany’s dependence on foreign producers.
The supply mix changed sharply after the European Union imposed restrictions on Russian oil. Russia had provided more than one-third of German crude imports in 2021. By 2024, direct Russian deliveries had almost disappeared.
Norway became Germany’s largest crude supplier in 2024, accounting for 19.5 percent of imports. The United States supplied 18.2 percent, followed by Kazakhstan with 13.5 percent and the United Kingdom with 10.5 percent. Other supplies arrived from producers in the Middle East, Africa and additional European markets.
This broader mix reduced dependence on a single country, but it placed greater importance on marine terminals and international pipeline connections. Wilhelmshaven and Rostock provide important entry points within Germany, while Rotterdam and other neighboring ports support supplies to western and southern refineries.
The country’s oil security now depends on maintaining several routes at the same time. Tanker availability, port capacity, pipeline access, refinery design and the type of crude available all influence whether imported oil can reach the correct processing facility.
Refineries Give Germany Its Real Weight in the Oil Market
Germany’s significance in European oil comes mainly from its downstream industry. The country has around 15 refineries and one of the largest refining systems in Europe. These facilities convert imported crude oil into diesel, gasoline, aviation fuel, heating oil, liquefied petroleum gas, lubricants, bitumen and petrochemical feedstocks.
German refining capacity stood at approximately 105.7 million tonnes in 2024. Refineries produced about 97.8 million tonnes of petroleum products during the year, while capacity utilization increased to more than 81 percent.
The facilities are spread across several industrial regions rather than concentrated in one coastal zone. Refineries near Karlsruhe, Cologne, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Heide, Lingen, Ingolstadt, Leuna and Schwedt supply different regional markets. Pipeline systems, inland waterways, railways and road networks distribute refined products to airports, service stations, factories and chemical complexes.
Several refineries are closely connected to petrochemical manufacturing. Crude oil is not processed only into fuels; parts of each barrel become naphtha and other raw materials used to make plastics, coatings, solvents, synthetic fibers and industrial chemicals. This relationship gives refineries an economic role that extends beyond filling stations.
Germany also trades large quantities of refined products. In 2024, it imported about 33.6 million tonnes of petroleum products and exported approximately 29.2 million tonnes. This two-way trade reflects regional differences in refinery output, seasonal demand and the specifications required by individual markets.
Schwedt Shows Why Oil Security Is Regional
The PCK refinery in Schwedt illustrates the complexity of Germany’s post-Russian oil supply system. Located in Brandenburg near the Polish border, the refinery has traditionally supplied Berlin and much of northeastern Germany with gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel and other products.
For decades, Schwedt received Russian crude through the Druzhba pipeline. Germany placed the German operations of Russian producer Rosneft under federal trusteeship in 2022 and sought replacement supplies through the Baltic Sea port of Rostock and through Poland.
Kazakh crude transported through the Druzhba system became another part of the replacement strategy. However, the route still crossed Russian infrastructure. When these deliveries were halted in May 2026, Germany again had to increase efforts to secure alternative volumes through Rostock and the Polish port of Gdańsk.
The federal government stated that national supply security was not threatened, but the disruption placed pressure on a strategically important regional refinery. Schwedt was expected to operate at around 80 percent of capacity during May 2026, and employment guarantees for more than 1,000 workers were extended through the end of the year.
The situation demonstrates that diversification is not measured only by the nationality of the crude producer. It also depends on who controls the pipelines, ports and transit systems used to move that crude. Germany has successfully replaced most direct Russian oil, but the infrastructure serving particular refineries remains uneven.
Transport and Chemicals Sustain German Oil Demand
Transport is the largest source of German petroleum demand. Around 58 million tonnes of fuel were sold in 2024, representing roughly two-thirds of domestic mineral-oil sales.
Diesel remained the largest individual fuel market at approximately 30.1 million tonnes. Gasoline consumption reached about 19.3 million tonnes, while aviation fuel accounted for around 9 million tonnes. Diesel demand declined during the year, but gasoline consumption increased.
Germany’s large vehicle fleet, freight industry and central position within European trade support continued road-fuel consumption. Heavy trucks remain especially dependent on diesel because battery-electric and hydrogen alternatives have not yet reached the same scale as electric passenger cars.
Aviation presents another difficult market to replace. Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and other airports require large volumes of jet fuel, while international aviation limits how quickly national policies can change the fuel mix.
Oil is also used for residential heating, although this market is declining as older systems are replaced by heat pumps, district heating and other technologies. Light heating-oil sales fell to approximately 12 million tonnes in 2024.
The chemical industry creates a more durable source of demand. Naphtha consumption increased strongly in 2024, and petroleum products remain important industrial raw materials. Even if gasoline and diesel sales fall, refineries may continue operating to serve aviation, chemicals, lubricants, construction materials and specialized fuel markets.
German Refineries Face Conversion Rather Than a Simple Closure Schedule
Germany’s energy transition is changing the economics of refining. Electric vehicles reduce gasoline and diesel demand, building renovation lowers heating-oil use, and European climate rules increase the cost of producing carbon-intensive fuels.
Refineries are responding by considering renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel, advanced biofuels, recycled carbon feedstocks, synthetic fuels and low-carbon hydrogen. Existing sites offer useful industrial advantages: storage tanks, pipelines, port access, technical workers, power connections and established relationships with chemical producers.
Conversion is difficult because alternative fuels often require expensive new equipment and reliable supplies of renewable electricity, biomass, waste feedstocks or hydrogen. These inputs may also be demanded by steel, chemicals, shipping and other sectors.
Not every German refinery will follow the same route. Some may remain conventional facilities for many years. Others may reduce crude-processing capacity, specialize in petrochemicals or develop lower-carbon fuel units. Sites with weak logistics or high operating costs face greater pressure if European fuel demand declines faster than expected.
Germany’s oil industry is therefore moving into a period of gradual restructuring. Domestic crude production will remain small, and imported oil will continue to supply the market. The more important question is how much refining capacity Germany will retain and which products those refineries will make.
Oil will lose part of its role in road transport and heating, but the national economy will continue to require liquid fuels and petroleum-based materials. Ports, pipelines and flexible refineries will determine whether Germany can meet that demand securely while reducing the sector’s long-term emissions.
