The Work Commencement of HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi

by Shrutee K/DNS

The Work Commencement of HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Ltd. (HRRL) was done by the hands of Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi at a grand event held on 16^th January, 2018 in Pachpadra, Barmer. Rajasthan. Honble Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Smt. Vasundhara Raje and Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan were present, along with other dignitaries during the function.

The setting of the state-of-the-art 9 MMTPA Rajasthan Refinery & Petrochemical Complex will herald a new phase in the development of the state. The project is estimated to be built at an investment of Rs 43,129 crore, highest ever single investment in the state. The project is a Joint Venture between HPCL and the Government of Rajasthan with an equity share of 74% and 26% respectively. The setting up of HRRL will provide direct and indirect employment opportunities in the state, with significant improvement in the social, economic and infrastructural status of Rajasthan. This 9 MMTPA Refinery and Petrochemical Complex project will produce BS VI fuels and high value petrochemical products and will be the technically one of the most complex refinery in India. It is also the first greenfield integrated Refinery and Petrochemical Complex in India.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Narendra Modi commended the many initiatives taken up by the Government of Rajasthan to usher in economic growth and development and said that with this Makarsankranti a new revolution of development is ushered in the State of Rajasthan. Projects worth several crore have been undertaken by the State Government to build infrastructure, provide better healthcare and education facilities and many other facilities. He also commended the ground breaking efforts of HPCL and Rajasthan Government for setting up of this state-of-the-art Rajasthan Refinery which is another giant leap towards the development of the state. He expressed confidence that the Refinery will be inaugurated in 2022 on the 75^th Year of Independence in line with the Sankalp that has been taken and will be another milestone in the efforts to establish a New India. With the upcoming refinery, the state will see tremendous development of downstream and other service sector industries in and around the region. The Refinery & Petrochemical Complex will foster a market ancillary industries such as for plastic, chemical, textile etc. As a result, the local population will not have to go to neighboring/other states for work.

He also inaugurated the Exhibition put up on the occasion which showcased model of the Rajastrhan Refinery & Paetrochemical Complex of HRRL alongwith details of the project and details of the initiatives of MOPNG. Govt. of Rajasthan and HPCL the activities undertaken by Gor Smt. Vasundhara Raje, took the opportunity to commend the efforts by HPCL and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to aid the state by taking up this project which will foster economic activities and take the state on the fast paced path of economic growth. The proposed refinery will utilize local crude besides other crude which will generate employment both direct and indirect and the project help the interests of people of Rajasthan, Govt. of India, Govt. of Rajasthan Ministry of Petroleum and HPCL.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, stated that the development of downstream and other service sector industries in and around the region by setting up of HRRL will be tremendous. He marveled at the abundance of natural resources such as oil, gas, lignite available and huge prospect to harness solar and wind energy in the state of Rajasthan. He focused on the prospect of extracting water from the deep water table leveraging solar energy, thereby supplying ‘sweet’ water for household and agricultural, industral purposes. The unique aspect of utilizing the indigenous crude oil available from the region to produce petrochemical products and BS-VI complaint fuel was much appreciated by the Honble Minister. The project scheduled to complete by 2022-23 will pave the way for establishment of skill development institutes and a number of social development directly touching the lives of lakhs of people of Rajasthan, he said. He proposed to set-up an SDI in the district to train the local youth and bring in prosperity in the region by way of providing training, education, skill development etc. The state of the art HRRL Refinery & Petrochemical Complex, expected to be completed during the financial year 2022-2023, will bring in smiles on the faces of the populace of the region and usher in a future full of energy in line with the HPCL motto of Delivering Happiness.