Public oil sector major Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has floated a high-value tender for the supply of six specialised refinery reactors at its Visakh Refinery as part of its efforts to strengthen its secondary processing facilities.
According to official procurement notices on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, the project covers the end-to-end supply, positioning, and site commissioning of the reactors, which are designed to operate under high-temperature and high-pressure parameters.
Speaking to The Hindu, a senior HPCL official said: “Yes, the procurement proces is correct. Following contract award, the vendor has a strict 252-day window to complete installation and commissioning of all six reactors to boost secondary processing reliability.”
The new six reactors are expected to improve operational flexibility, by allowing the refinery to process cheaper, heavier crude slates while maximising yields of high-value light distillates like petrol and diesel.
The procurement follows the multi-billion-dollar Visakh Refinery Modernisation Project (VRMP), which expanded the crude processing capacity from 8.33 MMTPA to 15 MMTPA.
Core Engineering for Clean BS-VI Fuel Mandates
Industry experts say that in modern petroleum refining, such reactors play a key role in processing core for hydrotreating, hydroprocessing, and catalytic reforming operations. By utilising hydrogen streams, these specialised reactors strip sulfur, nitrogen, and heavy metal impurities from intermediate petroleum cuts, enabling the production of ultra-low-sulfur fuels compliant with strict Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) environmental emission mandates.
The bidding opened on September 25, 2026, and will close on October 15, 2026. The awarded contractor will have 252 days from contract award to complete installation and initial commissioning, supported by a 5% Performance Bank Guarantee, and Make in India purchase preferences.
Established in 1957 as Caltex Oil Refining (India) Limited (CORIL), the Visakh refinery holds the distinction of being the first oil refinery commissioned on India’s eastern seaboard with an initial capacity of 0.675 MMTPA. Following nationalisation in 1976 and its subsequent merger with HPCL in 1978, the facility underwent continuous capital expansions to support national energy security.
Published – October 12, 2026 11:47 pm IST
