Racing to complete its Rs 8,300-crore ongoing expansion plan on schedule, Essar Oil Ltd (EOL) on Wednesday said it has commissioned two more units at the Vadinar Refinery in Jamnagar district of Gujarat.
The two new units commissioned are the Vacuum Gas Oil Hydrotreating Unit (VGOHDT) and the Sulphur Recovery Unit (SRU) at Vadinar. EOL also commissioned an effluent treatment plant (ETP) as part of the Phase-I expansion project to be completed by the end of March 2012, the company said here.
Now, only the Delayed Coker Unit (DCU) remains to be commissioned. The project, when completed, will expand the capacity of the refinery to 18 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) or 3.75 lakh barrels per day, and enhance complexity from the existing 6.1 to 11.8, which is amongst the highest in the world, Mr C. Manoharan, Head of the Vadinar Refinery, said.
With a capacity of 6.5 mtpa, the VGOHDT at Vadinar is among the largest units of its kind. It will help the refinery produce low-sulphur, high-octane gasoline (petrol). The unit is also capable of producing naphtha, kerosene and gas oil (diesel).
Mr L.K. Gupta, Managing Director and CEO, Essar Oil, said the Vadinar Refinery, will be among the world’s most complex refineries, capable of producing fuels that meet the world’s most stringent emission norms.
The ETP will treat 540 cubic metre of water per hour, which will be reused for the cooling tower or for the generation of demineralised water through the RO plant. The treated water could also be used for horticulture.
Alongside the Phase I expansion, an optimisation project is also underway, which will further increase the capacity to 20 mtpa (4.05 lakh bpd) by September 2012.