HF Sinclair’s plan to retire base oil refining at its Petro-Canada Lubricants facility in Mississauga, Ontario, will change an important piece of the North American specialty oil supply chain. For manufacturers looking for a white oil producer, the transition is a reminder to look closely at where products are made, how they are sourced and what backup capacity is available. Questions? Contact us.
The Mississauga announcement does not mean Petro-Canada Lubricants is disappearing. HF Sinclair plans to retire the facility’s base oil refining assets through 2027 while continuing research and development, lubricant blending and packaging, logistics and commercial operations in Ontario.
Still, the change matters.
Mississauga has long been a major North American source of highly refined base oils and specialty products. Moving away from on-site base oil refining changes a) where some of the raw materials behind those products will come from and b) gives manufacturers a reason to take a closer look at supply security.
Suzanne Kingsbury, Director of Quality
What Is Actually Closing at the Petro-Canada Mississauga Plant?
HF Sinclair announced in July 2026 that it plans to retire the base oil refining assets at Mississauga, with the transition expected to be substantially completed during 2027.
The Mississauga Lubricants Centre has production capacity of up to 15,600 barrels per day. The facility produces automotive, industrial, and food-grade lubricants, greases, base oils, process oils, and specialty fluids. It has been one of North America’s largest manufacturers of high-quality Group III base oils.
Although this is not a complete plant closure, it is a refinery closure, and that is significant. The details are:
- Petro-Canada Lubricants plans to maintain its Ontario blending and packaging operations, research and development laboratory, and other commercial functions.
- HF Sinclair has also entered into long-term supply agreements with SK Enmove and Chevron.
- SK Enmove will supply Group III base oils, while Chevron will supply Group II base oils.
In summary: Petro-Canada is moving from a model built partly around its own Mississauga base oil production toward one that relies more heavily on outside producers.
Why the Change Matters to the White Oil Producer Market
White mineral oil buyers should pay attention to this transition because Petro-Canada has historically tied its white oil production closely to its base oil refinery.
Petro-Canada says it sources its PURETOL white mineral oils from its own highly purified base mineral oil supply, produced through the company’s HT Purity Process. Its white oils serve applications involving food contact, pharmaceuticals, personal care products and other specialty uses.
HF Sinclair has not announced that these white oil products are going away. Its new supply agreements are specifically intended to maintain access to base oils following the Mississauga transition.
But the supply chain behind the finished products is changing.
For buyers, that can raise practical questions:
- Where is the white mineral oil produced? And/or shipped from?
- Will existing product specifications remain unchanged?
- How much inventory is available during the transition? When is the refinery closed?
- How many production and storage locations support a particular grade?
- What alternatives are available if transportation, imports, or another production site are disrupted?
These questions matter even when the finished oil continues to meet the same specification.
Which Industries Could Feel the Effects?
The Mississauga transition touches many of the same industries we serve here at Renkert Oil.
Food and Food Processing
White mineral oils can be used in food-contact, food-processing, and equipment applications when they meet the appropriate regulatory requirements.
For these buyers, replacing one oil with another is not simply a purchasing decision. Documentation, food-safety requirements, traceability, and certifications may all be part of the qualification process.
Our Renoil White Oils include products designed for direct food contact use and incidental food contact, animal feed, grain dedust, and other regulated applications.
Pharmaceuticals, Supplements and Personal Care
High-purity white mineral oil is used in pharmaceutical, supplement, cosmetic, and personal-care applications where color, odor, purity, and consistency are especially important.
A sourcing change may require quality teams to examine specifications and supporting documentation before approving an alternate product. That makes it valuable to qualify more than one dependable production source before supply becomes urgent.
Plastics and Elastomers
White oils can serve as plasticizers and processing aids in polymers and elastomers. Oil properties can affect softness, processing, appearance, and other characteristics of the finished compound.
Manufacturers that have built formulations around a specific oil may therefore need testing before making a change. Having access to technical support and samples can make alternate-source qualification much easier.
Renoil White Oils are also formulated for applications including use as plasticizers in polymeric substances.
Textiles, Adhesives and Other Specialty Applications
White oils also appear in textile processing, adhesives and many niche industrial formulations where clean color, low odor or controlled viscosity are important.
The broad application range is one reason a change in North American production capacity can reach far beyond the lubricant market itself.
Petro-Canada’s PURETOL line, for example, serves multiple industrial and regulated applications, while Renkert’s Renoil products are widely used by the plastics, textile, pharmaceutical and food industries.
What Should Buyers Ask a White Oil Producer?
The Mississauga announcement highlights an important distinction: selling white oil and producing white oil are not necessarily the same thing.
A distributor can play an important role in the supply chain. In fact, Renkert Oil is both an independent specialty oil distributor and manufacturer. But when supply conditions change, buyers should understand what sits behind the product they are purchasing.
Look beyond whether a company has the right viscosity grade on a product list. Consider its manufacturing footprint, quality systems, available inventory, logistics network, technical experience and ability to help qualify alternatives.
Production flexibility becomes especially valuable when the market changes. A manufacturer can do more than locate oil somewhere in the supply chain. It can manage production and quality directly while developing products for the applications its customers need.
Renkert Oil Is a White Oil Producer, Not Just a Supplier
That distinction is especially important to us.
Renkert Oil is an independent specialty oil manufacturer and distributor, and our proprietary Renoil White Oils are produced for demanding applications across food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, plastics, textile and other markets.
Over nearly four decades, we have invested directly in white oil production, storage, packaging, quality control and logistics. Today, we are one of the largest white oil producers in the United States.
That production capability is an important part of what makes us different.
Our Renoil White Oils include food-grade products that meet applicable U.S. Pharmacopeia requirements and U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements for uses including direct food applications, incidental food contact, animal feed, technical white oils and plasticizers in polymeric substances.
They are also produced in three Safe Quality Food-certified facilities that are compliant with the USA Food Safety Modernization Act.
And production is only part of the equation. We have built our supply chain around redundancy and flexibility. Our logistics network includes strategically located storage facilities, railcar and truck trailer fleets, and partnerships with transportation providers that allow us to move specialty oils in quantities ranging from drums to bulk shipments.
That combination of production, quality control, inventory, and logistics gives us more ways to respond when customers need another source.
A White Oil Producer Ready to Help Fill the Gap
The retirement of Petro-Canada’s Mississauga base oil refinery will not happen overnight. HF Sinclair has already taken steps to establish a new supply model using base oils from Chevron and SK Enmove.
But retiring a facility with a capacity of up to 15,600 barrels per day still represents a meaningful change to North American base oil production.
For manufacturers that depend on high-purity white mineral oils, now is a good time to review where those oils come from, how much production redundancy is available, and whether an alternate source has already been qualified.
That is where we can help.
We are more than a company that buys white mineral oil and resells it. We produce specialty white mineral oils. We manage quality through certified production facilities and combine that manufacturing capability with deep inventory, technical experience, and a logistics network built to keep customers supplied.
Whether you need to qualify a secondary source, replace an existing product, or simply strengthen your supply chain before the Mississauga transition is complete, talk to us about your application.
Contact Renkert Oil to learn how our white mineral oil production capabilities can support your operation.
FAQs: White Oil Producer Petro-Canada Closure
- Is the Petro-Canada Lubricants plant in Mississauga closing completely?
No. HF Sinclair plans to retire the facility’s base oil refining assets, but blending, packaging, research and development, logistics and other commercial operations are expected to continue in Ontario.
- When will Petro-Canada stop refining base oils in Mississauga?
HF Sinclair expects the retirement of the Mississauga base oil refining assets to be substantially completed during 2027.
- How much production capacity does the Mississauga refinery have?
HF Sinclair lists the Mississauga facility’s production capacity at up to 15,600 barrels per day.
- Will Petro-Canada stop selling white mineral oils?
HF Sinclair has not announced that Petro-Canada’s white mineral oil products will be discontinued. The company is establishing outside sources of Group II and Group III base oils to support its lubricants and specialties business after Mississauga refining ends.
- Why does the Mississauga refinery closure matter to white oil buyers?
The change removes a significant source of North American base oil production and changes the supply chain behind Petro-Canada’s specialty products. Buyers may want to review their sourcing strategies and make sure they have qualified alternative sources.
- What industries could be affected by changes in white oil production?
White mineral oils are used in industries including food processing, pharmaceuticals, supplements, cosmetics and personal care, plastics and elastomers, textiles, adhesives and other specialty manufacturing applications.
- What should manufacturers look for in a white oil producer?
Manufacturers should consider production capabilities, quality systems, product consistency, regulatory documentation, available inventory, technical support, logistics and the producer’s ability to maintain reliable supply.
- Is Renkert Oil a white oil producer or distributor?
Both. Renkert Oil is an independent specialty oil manufacturer and distributor. We produce our proprietary Renoil White Oils while also distributing specialty oils from other major manufacturers.
- Where does Renkert Oil produce white mineral oils?
Renkert Oil produces Renoil White Oils at three Safe Quality Food-certified facilities. This manufacturing footprint helps us support customers that need reliable, high-quality white mineral oil supply.
- Can Renkert Oil help manufacturers qualify an alternative white oil source?
Yes. We can work with customers to identify Renoil White Oils appropriate for their application, provide product information and samples and help manufacturers evaluate alternatives as they strengthen or diversify their supply chains.