New Delhi, October 25
With a major fire breaking at Reliance refinery at Jamnagar in Gujarat - Asia’s biggest refinery - the country may face a shortfall of domestic gas supply during the ongoing festival season.
Though the government said one lakh tonnes of LPG would be imported to offset any shortfall of the fuel.
Petroleum Secretary M.S. Srinivasan said efforts were on to procure one lakh tonnes of LPG through imports. Oil marketing companies, HPCL, IOC and BPCL had been asked to pitch in their supplies to tide over shortfalls.
Earlier, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said, “Mukesh Ambani has said that there won’t be any material shortage at all. Officials of IOC, HPCL, BPCL and ONGC will meet him to assess the possible damage”.
“About 2.5 lakh tonne of LPG shortage is estimated. Oil PSUs have already started talking to overseas suppliers for import of LPG,” Mr Deora added.
Jamnagar refinery is India’s largest oil refinery with a capacity of 6,60,000 barrel per day (bpd), and after the capacity expansion Reliance would become the country’s largest refinery surpassing IOC.
The Jamnagar refinery currently produces 11 million tonnes of diesel, 4 million tonnes of naphtha and petrol each, 3.6 million tonnes of jet/aviation turbine fuel, superior kerosene oil, 2.3 million tonnes of LPG, 2.7 million tonnes of reformate and 2.5 million tonnes of petroleum coke.
