Numaligarh Refinery achieves highest-ever crude throughput and distillate yield

New Delhi [India], April 3 : Numaligarh Refinery (NRL), a subsidiary of Bharat Petroleum Corporation, has achieved a major milestone by recording the highest-ever crude throughput of 3.093 million tonne (mt) against its nameplate capacity of 3 mt, in FY23 (2022-23), according to the ministry of petroleum and natural gas.

Additionally, the company has also achieved a distillate yield of 87.6 per cent, the highest since its inception. NRL has accomplished this feat while keeping capital expenditure at Rs 6,615 crore, which is the highest-ever till date, surpassing its earlier record of Rs 3,605 crore in FY22, according to the ministry statement released on Monday.

Nameplate capacity, also known as the rated capacity, nominal capacity, installed capacity, maximum effect or gross capacity, is the intended full-load sustained output of a facility such as a power station, electric generator, chemical plant, fuel plant, mine, metal refinery, and many others.

The ministry said the company concluded FY23 on a positive note with an exemplary physical performance which is expected to translate into financial gains and enhanced bottom lines. Major refinery products such as (motor spirit or petrol) MS, (high-speed diesel) HSD and Wax have shown the highest-ever production figures at 662.4 million tonne (mt), 2,134.8 mt and 47.7 mt. LPG bottling has also been the highest ever at 65.9 TMT, the ministry said.

Another highlight of the financial year has been the successful commissioning and inauguration of the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline by the Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh on March 18, 2023. The 1 MMTPA, 132 km pipeline has been built to transport HSD from NRL's Siliguri marketing Terminal in West Bengal to Parbatipur in Bangladesh, according to the ministry.

The refinery is on a major capacity expansion drive to increase its capacity from 3 million metric tonne per annum (MMTPA) to 9 MMTPA which also includes putting up a crude oil import terminal in Paradip Port and Odisha, and laying of a 1,640 km crude oil pipeline from Paradip to Numaligarh, according to the ministry statement.

The ministry said NRL was also implementing the first-of-its-kind bio refinery with bamboo biomass as feedstock at Numaligarh through a JV company with Finnish collaborators. The bio refinery, expected to be commissioned by the end of 2023, would produce 49,000 tonne of ethanol and other chemicals, contributing to the nation's objective of achieving 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol by the year 2025.

According to the statement, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted recently, "India's energy sector entities working in top gear to achieve PM Sh @narendramodi Ji's vision for an energy self-reliant India & putting NE states on path to fast-paced development. Initiatives to boost production, refinery throughput & efficiency are showing results!"

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