India will receive its first greenfield refinery in a decade when Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicates the integrated Refinery-cum-Petrochemical Complex at Pachpadra in Rajasthan's Balotra on July 4, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced on Friday.
"The country is getting a new greenfield refinery after ten years," Puri told reporters in New Delhi ahead of the Prime Minister's visit to Rajasthan.
Project details and investment
The refinery-cum-petrochemical complex, developed at Pachpadra, is India's first greenfield integrated refinery and petrochemical project. According to a Prime Minister's Office (PMO) release, the state-of-the-art complex has been built with an investment of over Rs 79,450 crore as a joint venture between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and the Government of Rajasthan.
The PMO said Prime Minister Modi will dedicate the project to the nation during his visit to Rajasthan, where he will also inaugurate, dedicate and lay the foundation stone for development projects worth around Rs 1.06 lakh crore across sectors including petrochemicals, urban transport, railways, roads, renewable energy and power transmission.
Technical specifications and capacity
The release described the refinery as "a landmark achievement in the country's energy and petrochemical sector." According to the PMO, the 9 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) refinery integrates refining and petrochemical production, with a petrochemical capacity of 2.4 MMTPA. It has a Nelson Complexity Index of 17 and petrochemical yields exceeding 26 per cent, aligning with global efficiency and sustainability benchmarks.
The government said the project is expected to strengthen India's energy security, improve petrochemical self-sufficiency and support industrial growth. It is also expected to anchor the development of a petrochemical and plastic park in the region, encouraging downstream industries while generating employment.
Other projects during Rajasthan visit
Besides the refinery, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the second phase of the Jaipur Metro project, dedicate key railway and highway projects, and inaugurate major solar power projects and power transmission infrastructure in Rajasthan.
Later in the day, Modi will travel to Gujarat to inaugurate the CG Semi Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility in Sanand. The PMO said the facility, built with an investment of over Rs 7,500 crore, marks "a significant milestone in India's semiconductor manufacturing journey" and, once fully ramped up, will have the capacity to produce up to 5 billion semiconductor chips annually.
