Nelson Complexity Index

The Nelson Complexity Index, or NCI, is an index that measures the sophistication of oil refineries. Not like “Can it speak six languages and identify the vintage of this Bordeaux?” sophisticated, but more like “Can it make supremely refined, high-quality fuel products like kerosene?” sophisticated. Totally different scale.

Anyway, the index goes from 1 to 20. A refinery’s score is calculated using a complex bouquet of construction costs, secondary conversion costs, and distillation costs, but in a nutshell, the higher a refinery’s score, the more sophisticated—and therefore, more valuable—it’s seen to be.