Indian Oil's 15 mtpa Paradip refinery dedicated to nation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dedicated to the nation Indian Oil Corporation's (IOC) 15-million tonne state-of-the-art refinery at Paradip in Odisha. The country's most modern refinery capable of producing Bharat Stage –VI fuels takes the country closer to the government's pollution control target.

Indian Oil Corporation has spent Rs34,555-crore on the new refinery at Paradip, after its foundation stone was laid by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in May 2000. The refinery takes the combined refining capacity of the state-run refiner to around 70 million tonnes per annum, overtaking private sector Reliance Industry's current capacity of 62 million tonnes.

"Paradip Refinery of IndianOil marks the beginning of a new era of development. Following the commissioning of the refinery, an investment of Rs1,00,000 crore will come into the state. Paradip Refinery is the `Vikas Deep' for Odisha. The refinery will contribute to the development of the state and bring new hope for the youth. The people of Odisha know about the importance of the refinery. There will be every support available from the central government to sustain this march of development," the prime minister said in his address.

The refinery at Paradip will help in meeting the burgeoning energy demands of the country.

Indianoil said in a statement, "For better profitability, the refinery has been designed to process 100 per cent high sulphur, including 40% heavy crude oil of low cost to produce various petroleum products like Petrol, diesel, kerosene, Aviation Turbine fuel, Propylene, Sulphur and Petroleum Coke.

It added, "Considered amongst the most advanced refineries in the world, Paradip Refinery will serve as a catalyst for energising the industrial and economic development of the entire region and the state of Odisha in the long run."

With the vision to earn further value-addition to Paradip Refinery, a 700 KTA capacity Polypolypropylene (PP) plant, based on propylene recovered from cracked LPG generated from INDMAX plant, is under implementation at an approved cost of Rs3,150 crore and is scheduled for completion by 2017-18.

Besides the development of pioneering technologies for import substitution, the new refinery will dynamically support local talent and trade, skill development, creation of job opportunities, spurring manufacturing enterprises, and facilitating inclusive growth to realise the vision of 'Make in India'.

Implementation of the INDMAX technology will double LPG production, support the government's mission for providing domestic LPG gas to every household in next three years. The INDMAX Unit is designed to produce 44 per cent LPG, the highest from such plants.

At present, approximately 50 per cent of LPG is imported in the country.

The refinery also has plans to set-up an Ethylene Recovery Unit and Mono-Ethylene Glycol (MEG) at an estimated cost of Rs 3,800 crore. These units are expected to be completed by 2020-21.

Indian Oil is also evaluating the options of setting-up manufacturing facilities for Para-Xylene, PTA and synthetic ethanol at Paradip.

Subject to techno-commercial viability, these facilities may be installed in the next five to seven years time.