RIL commissions world's largest refinery off-gas cracker at Jamnagar

Marks completion of RIL's $13-15 bn capex cycle in the petrochemical segment

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries (RIL) on Tuesday said it has commissioned and achieved the designed throughput for its Refinery Off-Gas Cracker (ROGC) project of 1.5 MMTPA capacity in Jamnagar.

"RIL has successfully commissioned and achieved design throughput of the world's first ever and largest Refinery Off-Gas Cracker (ROGC) complex of 1.5 MMTPA capacity along with downstream plants and utilities. The ROGC complex is a core component of RIL's most innovative and world-scale J3 project at its integrated Refinery-Petrochemicals complex at Jamnagar," the company said in its statement to BSE. The company added this would be the latest addition to RIL's existing cracker portfolio, consisting of cracker facilities at Nagothane in Maharashtra and Hazira, Dahej, and Vadodara in Gujarat.

With this, the company has completed all of its planned expansion for its petrochemical business. "Ethylene from ROGC is used in downstream plants to produce Mono-Ethylene Glycol (MEG) and Polyethylene (LLDPE and LDPE). Similarly, Propylene from ROGC has enhanced the output of the existing Polypropylene (PP) plants at Jamnagar complex to produce high-value co-polymers. The commissioning of MEG plant marks the completion of the all-round expansion of the polyester value chain post successful commissioning of Para-Xylene (PX), Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA), Polyester filament and Poly Ethylene Terephthalate (PET) plants over last 3 years," the company said in its statement. These new capacities are expected to help cut down India's imports for polymers.

About six years back, RIL had started an investment cycle for its petrochemical and refining business. Part of this was to set up the (ROGC) unit for an estimated investment of $4.5 Billion. In August last year, RIL commissioned its first-of-its-kind ethane import project and is expected to add $300 million to the operating profit of the petrochemicals business. RIL invested about $1.6 billion in this Ethane import project.