HMEL to Soon Commission Bhatinda Petrochemical Unit

HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL) is likely to commence its awaited petrochemical complex in Guru Gobind Singh Refinery at Bhatinda by the end of Q2 of FY22. The project passed in 2017 was earlier scheduled to be commissioned by April 2021 however, disruption in operations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has dragged its deadline till September 2021.

The new petrochemical complex comprises 1.2 million metric tonnes (MMT) of Polyethylene unit, including the two swing plants of LLDPE/HDPE of 400 KTPA capacity each. Besides the mega-capacity addition of Polyethylene, the company is also commencing a 500 KTPA Polypropylene unit in addition to its existing capacity of 440 KTPA. The project worth INR 240000 million will operate on world class technologies that will hence evolve HMEL as an integrated petrochemical player.

Following the scheduled commencement, the company along with giving rise to the country’s biggest dual cracker unit, will also provide India with its second largest petrochemical hub. The idea behind the launch of this project is to assist Northern India especially Punjab towards the active supply of raw materials amidst the consistent rise in demand for plastics since past few years.

GAIL and IOCL are the other two polyethylene players operating in the Northern India market.

ChemAnalyst predicts, “In 2019, India’s demand for polymers stood at 10 MMT, which is way beyond its existing capacity. The new petrochemical hub is anticipated to contribute well towards reducing its imports dependence in the coming years and will thus play a prominent role in reviving the Indian economy. “