CPCL to Boost Manali Refinery Capacity to 280k Bpd Amid Petrochemicals Push

Indian Oil Corporation's subsidiary, Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL), is set to boost its crude oil refining capacity at the Manali refinery in Chennai. The current capacity of 210,000 barrels per day (bpd) will be increased to 280,000 bpd under CPCL's plan, which did not provide a timeline for the expansion.

The Manali refinery has facilities to produce fuels, lubricants, waxes, and petrochemicals. CPCL also operates another small refinery, Cauvery Basin Refinery (CBR), in Nagapattinam, but it was decommissioned in 2019 due to limitations in meeting product specifications with the existing configuration.

CPCL had planned to rebuild the CBR to upgrade it to specifications, but earlier this year, it shifted the focus of the plan from a refinery to a petrochemicals complex. The project will now be prioritized as a petrochemicals site, with Indian Oil Corporation holding a 75% stake in the project.