Bharat Petroleum Corporation on 6 September 2005 formally inaugurated a hydrocracker unit, the last segment of its modernisation and expansion project at the Mahul refinery in Mumbai.

With this, the Rs.1,831 crore project undertaken in late 2000, now stands fully commissioned. The project comprised installation of a crude/vacuum distillation unit, hydrogen unit and a sulphur recovery unit. The refining capacity of the Mahul refinery now stands at 12 million tpa, from the earlier 9 million tpa. The refinery is also geared to supply automotive fuels compliant with Euro III norms.

ProjectsToday adds: The refinery expansion was completed on 30 June 2005. The above development symbolizes the formal inauguration of the project and also the stabilization of the enhanced refining capacity.

The Mahul refinery located in Mumbai has a nameplate refining capacity of 6.9 million tpa based on Arab sweet oil. However, actual crude throughput of the refinery is around 9 million tpa, since BPCL uses Brent oil. The project in question involved setting up of a 3 million tpa crude distillation unit, taking total operating capacity to 12 million tpa.

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