Essar Oil commissions unit at Vadinar to produce Euro 5 diesel fuel

Essar Oil Ltd. has commissioned a 4 million-ton a year Diesel Hydrotreater Unit-I (DHDT-I) to produce Euro 5 grade diesel fuel at its Vadinar refinery in Gujarat, India. In a press statement, the company said that DHDT-I “will upgrade diesel quality by treating the sour diesel streams and achieving reduction in sulphur as well as an improvement in the cetane index.” DHDT-I is included in the company’s expansion project which is aimed at enhancing the capacity of its Vadinar refinery from 14 million tons a year to 18 million tons a year. Earlier, Essar Oil commissioned the Isomerisation Unit to give the refinery the capability to produce gasoline with a high octane rating and a sulphur content of close to zero. “With the phase wise commissioning of three additional units slated for the end of this month, the refinery is now firmly on track to complete the Phase I expansion by March 2012,” the company said. The market for low sulphur content fuel is expanding rapidly, and the top 20 Indian cities now require retailing of only Euro 4 compliant-fuels. (March 13, 2012)