Exolum CLH is Europe’s largest liquid fuel logistics company and one of the largest in the world. Headquartered in Madrid and operating across 11 countries under the Exolum brand — formerly known as CLH (Compañía Logística de Hidrocarburos) until its 2021 rebrand — the group manages more than 6,000 kilometres of pipeline, 69 storage terminals, 47 airport fuel facilities, and total storage capacity exceeding 11 million cubic metres. The CLH name retains strong recognition across the European fuel logistics sector; the Exolum rebrand represents the same business, assets, and pipeline network under a unified global identity.
How Exolum CLH Grew From CAMPSA to Europe’s Pipeline Leader
The origins of Exolum CLH trace back to 1927, when Spain established CAMPSA (Compañía Arrendataria del Monopolio de Petróleos) to manage the state oil monopoly — storage, distribution, and retail of petroleum products across the country. Spain’s accession to the European Community in 1986 triggered a deregulation process that culminated in the 1993 spin-off of CAMPSA’s commercial logistics assets into CLH. The new entity took ownership of Spain’s refined products pipeline network and terminal infrastructure, operating as a regulated common carrier under Spanish law.
International expansion began in earnest from 2012, with Exolum CLH extending operations into the UK, Ireland, Panama, Ecuador, and Oman over the following decade. The most transformative acquisition came in 2015, when CLH purchased the UK Government Pipelines and Storage System — the GPSS — from the Ministry of Defence for £82 million. Originally constructed in the years before and during World War II to supply aviation fuel to RAF airfields, the GPSS gave CLH control of Britain’s principal independent fuel pipeline network. A ten-year MoD supply contract valued at £237 million accompanied the sale.
In 2020, CLH acquired 15 bulk liquid storage terminals from Inter Terminals — facilities spanning the UK, Ireland, Germany, and the Netherlands — adding significant third-party storage capacity to what had been primarily a pipeline-and-aviation-fuel business. The group rebranded as Exolum in 2021, consolidating its international operations under a single global identity while retaining CLH as the legal entity name for several subsidiary companies.
Exolum CLH in the UK: 2,000km and Britain’s Major Airports
The UK operation — running as Exolum Pipeline System Ltd (formerly CLH Pipeline System, formerly GPSS) — is the country’s principal independent network for fuel transportation and storage. The infrastructure comprises 2,000 kilometres of oil pipelines and 24 liquid fuel storage terminals with capacity exceeding 2.5 million cubic metres. The network supplies aviation fuel to Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, and Manchester, alongside ten regional airports served by road tanker from pipeline-connected depots, and multiple military installations under the MoD supply agreement.
The UK network’s aviation fuel role is strategically significant. Exolum Pipeline System supplies approximately 35% of UK aviation fuel demand — a market position that makes it critical infrastructure for British air travel and defence. In October 2025, Exolum announced the UK’s first independent SAF blending facility at its Redcliffe Bay aviation fuel pipeline storage and pumping station, enabling SAF blending with conventional jet fuel to support up to 65,000 additional greener flights annually once operational. The company has indicated plans to expand this into a nationwide SAF blending hub network integrated with the 2,000km pipeline system.
Hydrogen is a parallel track. In July 2025, Exolum completed a world-first demonstration that its aviation and road fuel pipelines and storage tanks could safely handle hydrogen. A commercial-scale project to transport and store green hydrogen using liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC) within operational oil terminals and pipelines followed in November 2024 — repurposing existing assets to address hydrogen’s transportation challenge without requiring new dedicated infrastructure. Among Europe’s leading pipeline companies, the Exolum CLH hydrogen repurposing programme is among the most advanced in operational trials. Full project details are available via Exolum’s official communications.
European Terminal Network and 2026 Expansion
Beyond Spain and the UK, Exolum operates across Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, and France. The German presence — two terminals at Mannheim on the Rhine — provides storage and handling for oil and chemical products with direct port access to Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Antwerp. The Amsterdam terminal offers storage and blending services for refined products and biofuels, positioned within Europe’s main gasoline blending hub with six ship berths.
Paris Charles de Gaulle represents the most significant recent contract win. In 2024, Exolum won the tender for the operation and maintenance of the airport storage facilities and hydrant network at Paris-Charles de Gaulle International Airport, commencing April 2025, with an investment of more than €200 million to develop facilities for future SAF and kerosene demand. CDG is Europe’s second-busiest airport by passenger traffic, and the contract positions Exolum as the operator of one of the continent’s most strategically important aviation fuel hubs.
In Spain, a €20 million investment in a new biofuel and bulk liquid terminal at the Port of Bilbao — adjacent to the existing Zierbena facility — will add 29,000 m³ of storage capacity in Phase 1, with full operations targeted for 2027. The Bilbao expansion connects into Exolum’s existing 152km Basque Country pipeline linking its three regional terminals with the Muskiz refinery and the broader Spanish network. Among Europe’s largest tank terminal operators, the Exolum CLH integrated pipeline-and-terminal model is a structural differentiator — most European terminal operators lease infrastructure to third parties, while Exolum owns and operates an end-to-end fuel logistics chain.
Houston: Ammonia Terminal Joint Venture with Vopak
The most significant Exolum CLH asset outside Europe is a 50/50 joint venture with Vopak on the Houston Ship Channel — the only marine ammonia terminal on the waterway with a deepwater berth capable of handling Very Large Gas Carriers. The facility provides ammonia and natural gas liquids storage services and is connected by pipeline to the Port of Houston petrochemical complex, the largest petrochemical hub in the United States. The JV positions Exolum in the emerging ammonia export market — a fuel and hydrogen carrier of growing strategic importance for energy transition logistics — well ahead of the anticipated scale-up in ammonia shipping volumes through the late 2020s.
The table below summarises the key operational data for the Exolum CLH group as of 2026.
Exolum CLH — Company Snapshot
| Detail | Data |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1927 (as CAMPSA); CLH from 1993; Exolum from 2021 |
| Headquarters | Madrid, Spain |
| Countries of Operation | 11 (Spain, UK, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, France, USA, Panama, Ecuador, Peru) |
| Pipeline Network | 6,000+ km |
| Storage Terminals | 69 |
| Airport Facilities | 47 |
| Total Storage Capacity | 11+ million m³ |
| UK Pipeline Network | 2,000 km · 24 terminals · 2.5 million m³ |
| UK Aviation Fuel Share | ~35% of national demand |
| Key Airports Served | Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester, Paris CDG (from Apr 2025) |
| Houston JV | 50/50 with Vopak — only VLGC-capable marine ammonia terminal on Houston Ship Channel |
| Staff | 2,200 |
| Key 2025 Acquisitions / Wins | Paris CDG operations (Apr 2025); SAF blending hub Redcliffe Bay (Oct 2025) |
What is Exolum and what was CLH?
Exolum is the current brand name for the company formerly known as CLH — Compañía Logística de Hidrocarburos. CLH operated from 1993 until the 2021 rebrand, which unified the group’s international operations under a single global identity. The underlying business, pipeline network, and terminal assets are unchanged — Exolum and CLH refer to the same company at different points in its history.
How large is Exolum’s pipeline and terminal network in 2026?
Exolum operates more than 6,000 kilometres of pipeline, 69 storage terminals, and 47 airport fuel facilities across 11 countries, with total storage capacity exceeding 11 million cubic metres. In the UK alone, the network covers 2,000 kilometres of pipeline and 24 terminals with 2.5 million cubic metres of capacity, supplying approximately 35% of the country’s aviation fuel demand.
What airports does Exolum supply fuel to?
Exolum’s UK pipeline network supplies aviation fuel to Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, and Manchester, plus ten regional airports by road tanker. In France, Exolum began operating the fuel terminal and hydrant network at Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport in April 2025, following a tender win in 2024 and a committed investment of more than €200 million for SAF-capable infrastructure.
What is Exolum doing in hydrogen and sustainable fuels in 2026?
Exolum completed a world-first demonstration in July 2025 proving its existing pipelines and storage tanks can handle hydrogen safely. A commercial-scale liquid organic hydrogen carrier project began in November 2024, transporting green hydrogen through operational oil infrastructure. In the UK, Exolum announced in October 2025 the country’s first independent SAF blending facility at Redcliffe Bay, targeting up to 65,000 greener flights annually once operational.
What is Exolum’s connection to Vopak in Houston?
Exolum and Vopak hold a 50/50 joint venture in the only marine ammonia terminal on the Houston Ship Channel with a deepwater berth capable of handling Very Large Gas Carriers. The facility provides ammonia and NGL storage services with a pipeline connection to the Port of Houston petrochemical complex, positioning both companies in the growing ammonia export and energy transition logistics market.