RIL completes USD 16 billion off-gas cracker unit expansion

The commissioning of the cracker plant increases RIL’s combined ethylene capacity to close to 4 million metric tonne per annum (mmtpa) at its five sites. With this, Jamnagar in Gujarat has also become home to the world’s largest operating refinery off-gas cracker, said RIL that also runs the world’s largest single location petroleum refinery at Jamnagar with a 60 million tonne annual capacity. 

Commissioning of the ethylene plant integrates feedstock with the two refineries nearby, thus providing sustainable cost advantage to RIL over its global peers. “The world’s first ROGC and downstream plants marks a paradigm shift in profitability and sustainability of our petrochemical (petchem) business as the complex deeply integrates our feedstock, reducing cost massively. This expansion once again showcases our competitive advantage in efficient execution of complex projects,” chairman Mukesh Ambani said. 

The new facility is the world’s first ever and the largest refinery off-gas cracker (ROGC) complex of 1.5 mmtpa capacity along with downstream plants and utilities “The new facility is the world’s first ever and the largest refinery off-gas cracker (ROGC) complex of 1.5 mmtpa capacity along with downstream plants and utilities,” RIL said. “This is the largest ever expansion of RIL’s petrochemicals portfolio, and is also the last leg of the multi-billion dollar capex cycle, which was also one of the largest capex programmes globally in the sector in recent times,” it said. 

In 2014, the company had announced a $16 billion capex plan at Jamnagar.