The recently concluded 8th edition of the India Refining Summit in New Delhi gathered significant momentum, attracting over 180 industry professionals, supported by 9 sponsors and 4 partnering organisations. The summit showcased the growing strength of India’s downstream oil and gas industry, with a special emphasis on the strategic shift towards high-value petrochemicals and cleaner energy solutions.
Centred around the theme “Fueling India’s Future: Innovation, Sustainability, Collaboration,” the summit provided a robust platform for industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators to exchange insights on key topics, ranging from energy transition, crude diversification, and clean fuels, to refinery optimisation, geopolitical impacts, and trade policies.
Shri Arvind Kumar, Director-Refineries, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, delivered the keynote address, highlighting that India accounts for 6.3% of global energy consumption, expected to double by 2050. He projected an increase in India’s refining capacity from 255 MMTPA to 300 MMTPA by 2030, underlining government targets like 20% ethanol blending, 2% SAF by 2028, and 5 MMT of green hydrogen production by 2030. He also emphasised the vast biomass potential of 750 MMT annually, which could be leveraged for biofuels.
Mr R C Agarwal, Executive Director, Centre for High Technology (CHT), elaborated on benchmarking initiatives that compare Indian refinery performance with global standards. He noted India’s advances in energy efficiency and operational availability, often surpassing global benchmarks.
Mr Subhajit Sarkar, Executive Director, Operations (HQ), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, offered insights into pricing structures and product value chains, noting that while Motor Spirit and diesel prices are capped, petrochemicals — which account for 30% of refinery output — operate in an unregulated pricing environment.
Mr A Tirupati Naidu, Executive Director, Refineries Coordination, HPCL, shared a detailed update on the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Project, which involved the installation of approximately 1,000 km of pipeline infrastructure. The refinery is expected to be commissioned by end of 2025.
Mr Vipul Kumar Maheshwari, Executive Director – R&D, HPCL, emphasised process intensification, catalysis, and carbon capture as key areas of focus for boosting refinery efficiency while reducing environmental impact.
Dr Partha P Maitra, President – Strategy and Initiatives, Reliance Industries Ltd., commented on the global transition to cleaner energy. He cited that over 50% of new vehicles in China are electric, while 10% of heavy-duty trucks run on LNG, highlighting the need for Indian refineries to continue optimising within this global context.
International perspectives were presented by Mr Thomas Gersch, Managing Director, MIAM Valves GmbH, who spoke on the emissions-reducing role of mechanical innovations, and Ms Paula Duarte, MPS CMI Process Engineering Manager at Schlumberger, who showcased a desalting optimisation case study achieving 75% reduction in power usage through AC/DC tech.
The summit was proudly supported by Sustainability Partner – Indian Oil, which has set a goal to become a $1 trillion enterprise by 2047, while aiming to fulfill 12.5% of India’s energy needs and achieve net-zero operational emissions by 2046.
Additional partners included BRIO Energy, The Energy Resources Institute (TERI), Magdeburger Industriearmatur Manufaktur (MIA), dDriven.io, Oliver Wyman, and Harmony. The event also featured exhibitors such as Blackline Safety, Ambetronics, and Graham Engineering Answers, along with association support from AIAI, CMAI, and the India SAF Alliance.
For more details, visit:
🌐 www.indiarefiningsummit.com
📸 Press & Industry Coverage: Summit Media Centre
🧭 Organiser: Messe Frankfurt India
