Wanted: technology for IOC refinery expansions
IndianOil is set to begin major expansion projects at its Koyali, Mathura and Panipat refineries, which it wants to complete by 2016-17.
PETROWATCH learns IOC will invite EoIs next month (March) from companies who can provide technology for the Rs6000cr ($1.2bn) expansion of its Koyali refinery in Gujarat from 13.7m to 18m t/y. Wanted is an additional hydrocracker unit to extract diesel, petrol, kerosene and jet fuel from crude oil; a hydrogen unit to extract hydrogen from crude oil; and a sulphur recovery unit.
It will also revamp facilities like the crude distillation unit and the vacuum distillation unit. A Project Management Consultant should be in place for Koyali by November.
At Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, IOC plans to expand refinery capacity from 8m to 11m t/y for Rs8000cr ($1.6bn). Last December it awarded a contract for a configuration study to Engineers India (EIL) and wants results in by end-April this year (2013).
IOC will use the report to determine what units to set up before it chooses companies to provide technology. IOC also hired EIL last December to carry out a configuration study on its 15m t/y Panipat refinery in Haryana which it wants to expand to either 18 or 21m t/y.
EIL must suggest the most profitable capacity for the refinery after studying revenues and margins. IOC wants the Panipat configuration study results in by April too.
“Once capacity is decided we will take the investment proposal to the board," confirms an IOC source. IOC, he adds, will only decide what units are needed at Panipat after considering the configuration study.