Chennai Petroleum to expand refinery capacity

Chennai Petroleum Corp. Ltd., one of India’s state-owned oil and gas company, said it will invest INR40 billion (USD655.4 million) to boost refining capacity and upgrade the quality of its products.
Out of the total amount, Chennai Petroleum plans to allocate INR31.10 billion (USD509.5 million) for residue upgrading, to boost distillate output at the Manali refinery and allow the company to process higher sulfur crudes.
The public sector undertaking (PSU) would install a delayed coker unit and restore the existing hydro cracker unit with other related facilities. The installation and restoration work would raise the distillate yielding capacity of the plant by 7%. The project is likely to be completed by 2015. Environmental clearances were received in March this year.