How much does it cost to refine a barrel of oil

[alouche]

Hello,
Could some one provide us: How much does it cost to refine a barrel of oil? and what are the all parameters involved in this price determination process?

many thanks.
Alouche

[DSB123]

alouche,
The cost to refine one barrel of oil would be extremmely high. You would have to build an oil refinery firstly (very expensive) and then provide all of the utilities etc which would be needed. So to refine one barrel of oil would cost millions of dollars and all that effort to refine a barrel of oil seems a little OTT.

[Francisco Aguilar]

the answer given is right, but doesnt answer the question posed
let look at into in a different way
why there are so many refineries operating everyday in the whole world?
only because there is offert (of oil) and demand (of gasoline,diesel,etc.)
now the cost of a barrel, nowadays is very variable and so must be the cost
of a barrel of gasoline to stay in bussiness (that is Refinery bussiness)

As a general idea the profit of a very well designed, constructed, operated
and maintained Refinery is about 8-9%, so you could say that the cost of
refining a barrel is such as to allow this profit

and also the type of crude used must taken into account due to the different
viscosities between the light crude and the heavy one

also the type of refinery should be consider there are at least 4 types from
the simpler to the more complex with Cooker plant

and if the ecological rules are very strict you would need also oxigenation plants
in your Refinery

So the question that could be answered by the Refineries is, how nuch it cost to
that particular Refinery with its characteristics, its specific crude oil, in an specific
country to refine a barrel