Indian Express reported that phulokhari, Bathinda reached an industrial landmark by setting up its first refinery, and a mega one at that.

The Guru Gobind Singh Refinery in Bathinda sent its first commercial supplies to Hindustan Petroleum. It was a consignment of kerosene but the refinery’s eventual output will include 8mn tonnes of a variety of petroleum products, including 4mn tonnes diesel and 1mn tonnes petrol a year, all of it environment-friendly, and which will address much of the demand not only in Punjab but elsewhere in northern India.

The INR 19,000-crore refinery, the single largest investment in any project in Punjab, involves a 49% stake for Mittal Energy Limited, besides 49% for HPCL. It was processing crude on trial since August, with most of its 35 units commissioned, before sending its first commercial consignment.

The project includes a 1,016-km pipeline. From Mundra in Gujarat, crude oil sourced from docked vessels is put into the pipeline and sent to Phulokhari near Bathinda, with an elaborate security system monitoring every inch of the distance.

Officials said that 60% of the processed products will be transported by pipeline to the HPCL terminal in Bathinda and to the Bahadurgarh terminal near Delhi, another 30 per cent by railway and the remaining 10 per cent by truck.

The project is expected to set Punjab on a hydrocarbon revolution to address its energy needs. Mr MA Tankiwala COO of GGSR said that “The refinery will change the socio-economic landscape of Bathinda region.”

He added that “The project has enabled a great deal of infrastructure development including new roads, electric supply and other logistic connectivity. It will raise the economic index of the state. It has attracted the best talent pool from across 102 companies of the world in the hydrocarbon industry to this region.”

The refinery’s products will include motor spirit, high speed diesel, superior kerosene oil, aviation turbine fuel, LPG, naphtha, pet coke, sulphur, hexane, mineral turpentine oil and polypropylene. This has set the stage for a potential downstream, polypropylene-based plastic and packaging industry that will include manufacturing of helmets, laptop covers, car bumpers, films and sacks.

(Sourced from Indian Express)