IOC's refinery at Gujarat to supply BS-IV compliant diesel from Jan

Indian Oil Corp’s Gujarat refinery will supply Bharat Stage (BS)-IV compliant diesel from January, a senior official has said.

“For producing BS-IV complaint fuel, IOC is spending Rs 1,800 crore towards revamping its three diesel- and hydro-treating units at Gujarat refinery. The investment is a part of quality upgradation exercise undertaken to meet emission standards set under the Central government’s auto fuel policy,” Executive Director S K Dhar Gupta told PTI.

The upgradation would make the refinery, at Koyali village on the city’s outskirts, adequately equipped to supply 100 per cent BS-IV compliant diesel and petrol, he said.

Of the total monthly petrol production of 0.16 million tonnes (mt), the refinery is currently supplying about 0.15 mt to 0.15 mt of BS-IV compliant petrol, he says.

The BS-IV compliant fuels have low sulphur level at 50 ppm. Under BS-III norms, petrol and diesel have sulphur content of 150 ppm and 350 ppm, respectively.

The reduced sulphur content will greatly lower air pollution levels caused by auto emissions.

“Gujarat refinery has been undergoing revamp of its diesel treating units and the process is expected to be over in January 2017 after which it will supply BS-IV diesel,” said Gupta.

However, the IOC facility will continue to produce BS-III diesel from January-April 2017 for enabling old vehicles to smoothly switch over to BS-IV norms.

“We want to give them enough time for switching over to BS-IV norms for diesel,” said Gupta.

The refinery, which has 13.7 MMT crude processing capacity, has been revamping all its units to supply BS-IV fuels throughout the country by April 1, 2017, he said.