Billings refinery operations

About us

In 1954, the installation of the first fluid coker in the world enabled the refinery to take advantage of heavy crude. Since that time, the refinery has grown to include 18 major processing units, increasing capacity to roughly 60,000 barrels of crude oil per day and producing about 600 million gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel annually.

Located on the bank of the Yellowstone River near Lockwood, Montana, the refinery covers 720 acres, which includes about 370 acres of undeveloped land and urban wildlife habitat area. The refinery employs more than 270 people and about 100 of contractors on a daily basis.

Crude oil is supplied by producers in Wyoming and Alberta, Canada. Employing industry-leading technologies our products include all grades of gasoline, conventional gasoline blendstocks for blending with ethanol, ultra low sulfur diesel fuels, asphalt, butane and propane. The distribution market includes Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Washington, Idaho and parts of Nevada.

Safety, health and environment

Safety is fundamental at the Billings Refinery, where we have a simple goal: “Nobody gets hurt.”

The refinery has a commitment to safe operations for our employees, contractors, neighbors and community. As part of the New Source Review (NSR) Consent Decree, the refinery has completed several large-scale, multimillion-dollar environmental projects that have significantly reduced emissions. Since 2002, SO2 emissions at the Billings Refinery have decreased by 90 percent.

In 2002, the refinery received certification on 110 acres of undeveloped wildlife area. The refinery was recertified by the international Wildlife Habitat Council in 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2014 for outstanding habitat management and environmental education.

Emergency preparedness and response

The Billings Refinery supports a volunteer unified emergency response team, including a full-time emergency response supervisor, a 24-member fire brigade, a 10-member rescue squad and a 12-member oil-spill response team. Training includes advanced oil-spill recovery on rivers, emergency medical response with high-angle rope rescues and industrial firefighting. We have mutual aid agreements with area firefighting and rescue teams and our teams participate in community-wide or regional drills.

Community and news

Employees, retirees and family members annually volunteer more than 3,000 hours to the Billings and Lockwood communities, earning more than $70,000 in Volunteer Involvement Program grants for local agencies and groups.

In addition, Montana universities, colleges and schools received nearly $200,000 through the ExxonMobil Educational Matching Program and the ExxonMobil Foundation.

Annual sponsorships, contributions and outreach efforts total more than $300,000 for important community, healthcare and education projects. Billings Refinery employees, retirees and ExxonMobil Foundation annually contribute about $100,000 to United Way of Yellowstone County.

ExxonMobil is one of top five taxpayers in Yellowstone County and refinery employees are actively involved in board leadership or advisory capacities on many community and nonprofit organizations.

ExxonMobil also continues to help build a stable local economy. ExxonMobil Billings contributes millions of dollars to the regional economy, including nearly 400 direct and indirect jobs. We pay more than $20 million annually in the form of property taxes, gross payroll taxes and other state and local fees.

Contact information

We work around the clock, 365 days a year, to ensure that we meet the demands of our customers, follow through on our commitment to safety and continually engage partners in the Billings community.

We want to address any concerns about our operation. Please contact our Community Hotline at 406-657-5411 with any questions or send a message.