IOC Paradip refinery to be commissioned from March: Ashok

The refinery is capable of processing a broad basket of crude oil grades, including cheaper high-sulphur heavy crudes, which will help the company improve bottomline, Ashok told reporters here.

The company is also setting up a polypropylene project with capacity of 680 KTA at Paradip. The INDMAX FCC unit of 4.2 mmtpa capacity at Paradip, one of the major secondary processing units, is designed to operate in petrochemicals mode to maximise propylene/ethylene production. The unit will produce 700 KTA of propylene. Based on the availability of propylene, a poly-propylene plant of 700 KTA capacity will be set up with an estimated capex of Rs 3,150 crore. The project is expected to be commissioned by 2017-18.

A project management consultant is already on board and the construction work will commence from March 2015 onwards, Ashok informed. Among the major pipeline projects envisaged by the company in the near future are the Paradip-Hyderabad product pipeline, Durgapur-Barauni-Patna-Muzzaffarpur LPG pipeline, augmentation of the existing Koyali-Sanganer pipeline and its extension as Jaipur-Panipat Naphtha pipeline and Koyali-Ahmednagar pipeline.