HPCL starts to produce Euro 3 gasoline

State-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd. (HPCL) said that it will start producing Euro 3-equivalent gasoline at its two refineries in India starting March and April. The gasoline quality upgrade projects at HPCL’s 110,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in west-coast Mumbai and 151,000 bpd refinery in Visakhapatnam in the country’s east coast are long overdue, in part due to numerous delays in the delivery of equipment. HPCL commissioned a new isomerization unit at its Mumbai refinery and started producing Euro 3-equivalent gasoline there in March. The company said it plans to start commercial output at the Visakhapatnam refinery in April. (February 23, 2009)