Growth push: RIL plans major expansion of its Jamnagar refinery

Reliance Industries, operator of the world’s largest refining complex, is considering expanding its oil processing capacity by over 40% by 2030, two sources familiar with the matter said. RIL may expand the capacity at its dual refinery complex in Jamnagar in Gujarat by 30 million tonnes a year to 100 million tonnes per year, according to the sources, who saw the expansion plans in a presentation by the firm on potential energy scenarios to 2030.

RIL made the presentation to the Centre for High Technology, a unit of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas that evaluates projects and assesses their technological requirements.

“The plan to is to have petrol and diesel output capacity of close to 60 million tonnes by 2030, produced from cheaper heavy grades,” said one of the sources.

Reliance did not respond to an emailed request for a comment on the possible expansion.

Reliance operates two refineries at the Jamnagar complex with an installed capacity of 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd), or 60 million tonnes per year.

The plants typically operate above their installed capacity and process 1.4 million bpd of crude, or about 70 million tonnes per year. The refineries have facilities that can maximise the production of diesel and gasoline from higher density crude oil.

Raising the refining capacity at the Jamnagar complex to 100 million tonnes per year would equal about 2 million bpd.