1. New refineries are rare and choked by regulation & economics
“they're almost impossible to get permission to build now.” – vel0city Only a handful of new plants are in the pipeline (e.g., the Southern Rock refinery in Oklahoma, Reliance’s Texas megarefinery), and most debates point to prohibitive permitting costs and uncertain profitability as the main blockers.
2. Refining is a complex, material‑focused industry beyond fuel
“Crude oil seems far more valuable as a material than as an energy source… it feels like a damned shame that we’re still combusting so much of it for heat rather than reserving it for physical materials.” – flumpmaster (chemical‑engineer)
Modern refineries blend crudes, upgrade units, and now produce renewable diesel, yet the output still supplies everything from jet fuel to plastics and construction feedstocks.
3. Misreading “primary energy” inflates renewable shares and understates fossil use
“That’s because of the primary energy fallacy.” – rollulus
Discussions often quote raw joule figures for coal vs. wind/solar, overlooking conversion losses; this skews perception of how much of the world’s energy actually comes from fossil fuels.