The proposed Barmer refinery and petrochemical complex, a Rs 44,000 crore oil refinery, which is a dream project of the Congress government, has started rolling after suffering several hiccups. The refinery will come up at Pachpadra village in the border district of Barmer.
The work on the refinery had suffered a setback because of the coronavirus pandemic, but it has now picked up pace with the joint venture company starting various processes to set it up.
The project is the first of its kind in Rajasthan and is being developed by a joint venture (JV) between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL, 74%) and the Government of Rajasthan (26%) stake. It will be known as HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL).
The new refinery and petroleum complex will have a total processing capacity of nine million metric tonnes per annum (MMtpa). It will be used for the production of BS-VI grade motor spirit and diesel fuel, as well as other products including ethylene and propylene derivatives. The derivatives will be used as feedstock in industries, such as textiles, packaging and petroleum. It is expected that with the derivatives available, it would lead to the setting up of more industrial units and thousands of job opportunities.
The project received environmental clearance in September 2017 and final approval from the Government of India in October 2017. Construction on the project commenced in January 2018 and is scheduled to be completed by 2022.
“The development is estimated to cost $6.8bn and will create approximately 1,500 direct jobs upon completion, as well as up to 40,000 indirect jobs during construction. It is also expected to contribute to Rajasthan’s economic development and aid in the development of downstream petrochemical companies” said Mukesh Kumar Surana, chairman of the HPCL.
The refinery and petrochemical complex will be built on 4,813 acres of land approximately 5 km away from Pachpadra village in Barmer district. It will be located 100km from Jodhpur Airport and benefit from connections to National Highway NH-112.
The proposed facility will feature a total of 29 process units, including a 9 MMtpa crude distillation unit, a 4.8 MMtpa vacuum distillation unit and a 1.8 MMtpa naphtha hydro-treating unit.
It will also include a diesel hydro-treatment unit with a capacity of 4.1 MMtpa, a vacuum gas oil treatment hydro-treater with a capacity of 3.5 MMtpa and a petro fluidised catalytic cracking unit with a capacity of 2.9 MMtpa.
Other units will include an isomerisation unit with […]