Top 10 buyers of oil from the US in 2024 – the UK is a huge buyer, rather than using North Sea oil.
Selective targets for tariffs for the uncooperative? Watch out Spain.
From here;
The world’s largest buyers of US oil
1.The Netherlands – 419 million barrels
The Netherlands tops the list as the biggest buyer of American crude, importing over 419 million barrels in 2025. Dutch refineries process American crude into gasoline, diesel, and other products that supply millions of consumers across the continent.
2. Mexico – 400 million barrels
Mexico imported nearly 400 million barrels of American crude. The country’s state-owned refineries struggle with outdated equipment, making it cheaper to buy light crude from the United States.
3.Canada 324 million barrels
Canada exported massive amounts of oil to the United States, yet it still imported over 324 million barrels of American crude. The two countries share the world’s most integrated energy relationship, with oil flowing in both directions across the border.
4.South Korea 257 million barrels
South Korea ranks as Asia’s top buyer of American crude, bringing in 257 million barrels in 2025. South Korean refineries have invested heavily in equipment that handles the light, sweet crude from American shale fields particularly well.
5.Japan 247 million barrels
Japan imported 247 million barrels of American crude, making it a crucial buyer in the Asia-Pacific market. As an island nation with virtually no domestic oil production, Japan depends completely on imports to meet its energy needs.
6.China 238 million barrels
China purchased 238 million barrels of American oil, despite the complicated trade relationship between the two countries. The world’s largest energy consumer needs oil from multiple sources to satisfy its enormous industrial economy.
7.India 221 million barrels
India emerged as a major buyer, importing 221 million barrels as its economy grows rapidly. The country’s refineries have become some of the world’s most sophisticated, capable of processing various crude types, including American light oil.
8.Brazil- 138 million barrels
Brazil imported 133 million barrels of American crude even though it produces substantial oil from its own offshore fields. The country finds it more economical to buy specific types of American crude that match its refining process.
9. United Kingdom – 124 million barrels
The United Kingdom brings in 124 million barrels of American oil. It increasingly looks across the Atlantic to meet its energy needs as its North Sea oil production steadily declines.
10.Spain – 95 million barrels
Spain imported 95 million barrels, using American crude to power its tourism and agricultural sectors. The country’s refineries serve both domestic needs and export refined products to neighboring nations.
UK refineries cannot currently process North Sea oil for UK domestic consumption.
Per Brave AI;
‘Expanding North Sea oil production cannot replace US oil imports for the UK because the two countries trade different types of crude oil.
The UK primarily imports light sweet crude from the US to feed its refineries, while the majority of North Sea oil is heavy sour crude (like Forties blend) which UK refineries cannot process and is instead exported to markets in Asia and the Middle East.
Even if the UK increased North Sea extraction, it would not directly substitute US imports due to refinery incompatibility and the fact that 80% of North Sea oil is already exported rather than consumed domestically. ‘
‘To make UK refineries produce products suitable for the current market, significant investment in upgrading infrastructure is required to shift production from excess petrol to the high-demand diesel and jet fuel that UK plants currently lack.
Key changes needed include:
Process Retrofitting: Upgrading older plants, many built in the 1960s and 70s, to increase yields of ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and kerosene, as current facilities are optimized for petrol production.
Hydrogen and Catalyst Technology: Implementing new hydrogen production units and advanced catalysts to facilitate hydrotreating and desulphurisation, as demonstrated by the £800 million Fawley refinery upgrade completed in 2025.
Feedstock Flexibility: Adjusting the crude slate from predominantly North Sea grades to more international crude types to better align product output with current consumption patterns.
‘ Current UK refineries were designed for light, sweet crude (historically from Libya or Norway), whereas modern North Sea fields produce heavy, high-sulphur “sour” crude.
To process this, refineries would need to install specialized machinery such as cokers, hydrocrackers, and hydrodesulfurization units, which are not currently present in sufficient numbers to handle the 80% of North Sea oil that is currently exported.
‘While upgrading allows refineries to capture the lower purchase price of heavy sour crude, the upfront investment is often prohibitive compared to simply importing lighter crudes or exporting the heavy crude for processing abroad.
BUT NO MATTER – North Sea oil is already ‘light sweet crude’! ‘So the qualifier ‘The UK primarily imports light sweet crude from the US to feed its refineries’. need not apply!
‘North Sea oil is already classified as light sweet crude, so no conversion or processing is required to achieve this grade. Brent crude is a blended light sweet crude recovered from the North Sea with low density and low sulfur content, making it one of the primary global benchmarks for light sweet crude pricing.
inherent Quality: North Sea oil naturally possesses the characteristics of light sweet crude (low sulfur, high API gravity), meaning it is already in the desired state for refining into gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel without needing the complex conversion units required for heavy sour crudes.
Refining Simplicity: Because it is light and sweet, it can be processed into high-value products using simple distillation, unlike heavy sour crudes which require expensive equipment like cokers and hydrocrackers.
Cost Context: While the specific cost to convert North Sea oil to light sweet crude is effectively $0 since it is already that grade, the cost to refine it into products is generally lower than refining heavy sour crudes due to reduced corrosion risks and simpler processing requirements.
‘The United Kingdom imports crude oil and refined oil from the United States.
Crude oil was the largest commodity imported from the US in 2024, accounting for £8.7 billion in value and 16.2 million metric tons (over one-third of total UK crude imports).
Refined oil imports from the US totaled £4.0 billion in 2024, while natural gas liquids accounted for an additional £11 million in volume (11,000 metric tons).
The US is the primary supplier of crude oil to the UK, with imports rising by 23% in 2024 compared to 2023.
‘ UK production peaked at 6 million barrels per day in 1999, it has fallen to around 1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2024.
‘As of 2024, the United Kingdom consumes approximately 1,395,410 barrels of oil per day,
How easy would it be to increase oil production to meet the nation’s need ENTIRELY. – NOT MUCH – just remove the insane ‘net zero’ freak -Miliband - out of the way,
Grant exploration licenses ad drop the windfall tax on oil companies and let them supply refineries in the UK to keep Britain moving and homes warm.
Faced with the choice of , importing oil from Norway or the US OR taking it from the North Sea, the chooses not to take oil from the North Sea and running headlong into a self-imposed fuel crisis and inevitable economic collapse.
‘Recent estimates indicate the UK North Sea holds approximately 2.9 billion barrels of oil equivalent in proven reserves as of the end of 2024, according to the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA). A new study published in June 2025 suggests that the total resource estimate may be as high as 3.2 billion barrels, while a revised report from the NSTA in October 2025 raised the figure for remaining potential reserves to 15.8 billion barrels when including contingent and prospective resources.
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That's a few years before depletion. I read somewhere they voted No to start more drilling, including Farage, even though he's against net zero.