HPCL may turn Mumbai refinery into lube blending plant

Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd. (HCPL), one of India’s state-owned oil company, may turn its Mumbai refinery into a national lubricant blending plant once its new refinery is on stream. HPCL is in the process of acquiring land from the state of Maharashtra in the Ratnagiri district where it intends to build a 9-15 million ton per year refinery for about Rs 30,000 crore (US$6.5 billion). The Mumbai refinery is said to be too old to modernize. HPCL operates two major refineries, one in Mumbai in the West Coast, with 6.5 million metric tons per annum (MMTPA) capacity and the other in Vishakapatnam in the East Coast, with 8.3 MMTPA capacity. (August 24, 2011)