Numaligarh Refinery To Triple Capacity And Build Paradip Pipeline

19 Feb 2026 CW Team

Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) is tripling its refining capacity from three million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) to nine MMTPA, reinforcing its role as a key fuel supplier in eastern India. The company has targeted completion in December 2026 and plans to align the upgrade with downstream petrochemical additions. The expanded refinery is expected to improve feedstock security and operational efficiency across the region.

To support the enhanced capacity, NRL is constructing a 1,635 kilometre crude oil pipeline from Paradip Port in Odisha to Numaligarh in Assam to ensure stable and efficient crude sourcing. The pipeline is designed to reduce logistical constraints and to lower transit times for feedstock delivery. NRL is also developing a crude oil import terminal at Paradip to strengthen handling capabilities and to streamline imports as part of an integrated energy corridor.

The company has commissioned a second generation biorefinery that is expected to deliver a carbon negative environmental impact and to advance sustainable fuel production from biomass. This project supports national clean energy and biofuel objectives and is intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil operations. In September 2025 the Prime Minister inaugurated the Assam Bioethanol Plant at NRL's complex in Golaghat and laid the foundation stone for a new polypropylene unit.

As part of downstream diversification, NRL will set up a 360 kilotonne per annum (KTPA) polypropylene plant at an estimated project cost of over Rs 70 bn that is expected to strengthen its petrochemical portfolio. The polypropylene unit together with the expanded refinery is projected to increase the Petrochemical Intensity Index by four point zero and to broaden product slates for domestic and industrial consumers. The combined projects are anticipated to enhance energy security, to boost regional industrial development and to generate employment across the Northeast.

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