SHELL is selling its Geelong refinery, leaving at least 470 jobs in the balance.
The company's downstream business vice-president Andrew Smith announced its intention to sell the refinery on Thursday and said the company was searching for a buyer with a view to keeping the site open.
"Naturally this announcement will be a difficult one for the hardworking people at the refinery," he told reporters.
Mr Smith said he hoped a buyer would continue running the site, which has been operating since 1954 and supplies about half of Victoria's and 30 per cent of South Australia's fuel.
"We encourage employers and their representatives to support an outcome that maintains operations and local jobs."
The company hopes to finalise a sale by 2014, but if a buyer cannot be found it will explore options such as converting the site to a fuel import terminal, Mr Smith said.
Shell last September shut down its 79,000 barrel-a-year refinery in Clyde, Sydney, converting it into a fuel terminal.
Mr Smith said a successful sale was the preferred option for Geelong, and he could not speculate on how many - if any - jobs would be affected.
"Shell will be seeking a buyer who will show due care for employees, provide reliable supply for the company and its customers, and run the facility safely with respect for the environment and the Geelong community," he said.
The decision comes because the company wants to grow its retail and bulk fuels business, along with terminals and pipelines, Mr Smith said.
Australian Workers Union (AWU) Victoria acting branch secretary Ben Davis said the union was extremely concerned for the refinery's workers, their families and the entire Geelong community.
"We have been advised that it remains business as usual at the refinery while Shell tests the market for a potential buyer, but the long-term prospects for the site are unclear," Mr Davis said.
He said the Shell refinery is one of the major employers in the Geelong area.
"With Ford reducing its workforce, and the long-term future of the Alcoa smelter and the Qantas aircraft maintenance base still up in the air, the last thing Geelong needs is to lose its petrol refinery."
In addition to its hundreds of fulltime employees, Mr Smith said up to 150 contractors work at the refinery each day.
In September, Shell's global downstream director Mark Williams described the refinery's future as questionable and borderline, blaming increased competition from Asia and reduced margins.
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