Balotra (Rajasthan) [India], August 24 : Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri along with Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma inspected the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery located at Pachpadara in Balotra district on Sunday.
Puri inaugurated the Refinery Main Control Room (RMCR) in the august presence of Chief Minister Sharma and, before that, conducted a thorough inspection of the DCU and CDU units.
The Union Minister and the Rajasthan Chief Minister took stock of the progress of the work.
Addressing mediapersons soon after the inspection, the Union Minister said, "The Chief Minister has inaugurated the control room, and other facilities are also coming online. The refinery is seen as a significant development for the region, with potential for expansion and job creation. Additionally, HPCL plans to open a skills development centre to train local workers, particularly those previously engaged in salt pan work."
The Union Minister further said that the project, involving the state government, central government, and HPCL, along with contractors, is expected to be operational by the end of the year.
"The progress of a refinery project in Rajasthan, highlighting the visit of the Chief Minister in January-February and the rapid advancement since then," Puri added.
Further, Puri in a post on social media platform X said, "Rajasthan Refinery Limited in Jodhpur will be a key contributor to the vision of Viksit Bharat and India's unprecedented quest towards energy security by enhancing domestic hydrocarbons production under the visionary and firm leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi."
"During my visit to review the progress of the refinery complex with Rajasthan CM Bhajan lal Ji, I got a bird's eye view of the mega project from 62 m atop India's largest aluminium DCU coke drum which stands at 111 mtrs with derrick. This engineering marvel turns very long-chain vacuum residue into 70 % distillate yields like diesel, LPG, naphtha via thermal cracking. Once fully functional, the refinery will transform the economy and provide direct and indirect employment opportunities to the youth."
"The 2.4 MMTPA capacity DCU enables CDU/VDU to process low-API crudes, boosting GRM at lower OPEX versus a hydrocracker-centric route. • Along with vacuum residue, DCU can also process ETP sludge & slops, improving residue destruction and environmental stewardship. Key facts • By-product power: pet coke enabling ~160 MW • Coke drums (4 nos.): ID 7.6 m | Shell height 38 m | ~355 MT each | Wall 37-54 mm Kudos to the @HPCL & @HRRL_Rajasthan teams."
He said, "As India's quest towards strengthening and expanding domestic production, the future of India's hydrocarbons sector is taking shape under the dynamic leadership of PM Modi."
The HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited,the minister noted has a capacity of 9 MMTPA crude processing and the Crude Distillation Unit and Vacuum Distillation Unit which form the front-end engineering backbone of the HRRL complex are built for scale, efficiency, and reliability. Once fully functional, this world-class mega hydrocarbons project will bring about a transformational change in the lives of local communities by opening up a plethora of direct and indirect employment, and entrepreneurial opportunities for the youth and energy professionals.
The Chief Minister expressed gratitude to the Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister and HPCL officials for their efforts and assured that environmental considerations are being addressed.
"The project is anticipated to bring substantial development and employment opportunities to the area," the chief minister said.