Essar Oil commences production at 10.5-million-tonne refinery

New Delhi, Nov 24 (UNI) Essar Oil Ltd today announced the start up of operations at its petroleum refinery at Vadinar in Gujarat with a trial production with a capacity of 7.5 million tonnes per annum of crude which will gradually go up to 10.5 million tonnes per annum.

The company said the project cost of Rs 10,826 crore is extremely competitive and lower than estimated costs for a green field refinery.

This current phase of commissioning comes four months ahead of the originally scheduled date of commissioning, that is March 31, 2007. The company expects to attain production at full capacity in the next two quarters.

The company said the project cost of Rs 10,826 crore is extremely competitive and lower than estimated costs for a greenfield refinery.

The refinery has been built with state-of-the-art, contemporary technology and will have the capability to produce petrol and diesel suitable for use in India as well as advanced international markets.

It will also produce LPG, Naphtha, light diesel oil, aviation turbine fuel and kerosene. It has been designed to handle a diverse range of crude - from sweet to sour and light to heavy.

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