Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lauded the commissioning of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (HPCL) Residue Upgradation Facility (RUF) at the Visakh Refinery in Andhra Pradesh, calling it a major boost to India’s energy security and a decisive step towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Responding to a post by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on X, the Prime Minister said, “This state-of-the-art facility adds momentum to our efforts towards boosting energy security, thus becoming Aatmanirbhar in this sector.”
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri described the commissioning of the RUF as a milestone in India’s journey towards energy independence. He said the facility represents a decisive leap towards self-reliance under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
The Residue Upgradation Facility, with a capacity of 3.55 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA), uses advanced residue hydrocracking technology to convert nearly 93 per cent of low-value residual oils into high-value petroleum products. The project is also being hailed as a landmark in indigenous engineering, as it houses three LC-Max reactors weighing around 2,200 metric tonnes each—among the heaviest engineering blocks in the world—fabricated and assembled entirely in India.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said the commissioning of the RUF under the three-stage Visakh Refinery Modernisation Project (VRMP) strengthens Andhra Pradesh’s role in India’s energy landscape. He noted that the upgrade would help meet regional fuel demand, support socio-economic growth and position the East Coast as a world-class refining hub.
The Visakh Refinery expansion, undertaken at an investment of about ₹31,407 crore, has increased HPCL’s processing capacity from 8.33 million tonnes per annum to 15 million tonnes per annum. The upgraded refinery is expected to significantly strengthen fuel supply across several states, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Karnataka.
In line with India’s clean energy and decarbonisation goals, the Visakh Refinery has also recently inaugurated a demonstration plant for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production through co-processing of used cooking oil. As per HPCL’s roadmap, the refinery is expected to produce around 10 thousand metric tonnes of SAF annually from January 2027, subject to certification. This aligns with India’s SAF blending targets of 1 per cent by 2027, 2 per cent by 2028 and 5 per cent by 2030.
India currently imports nearly 80 per cent of its crude oil requirements, and the government has been taking multiple steps to enhance domestic refining capacity, diversify import sources and reduce dependence on imports. The commissioning of HPCL’s Residue Upgradation Facility at Visakh Refinery is seen as a significant stride in strengthening India’s energy security while advancing the vision of a self-reliant and resilient energy sector.
(With agency inputs)
