Rajasthan refinery fire: Four-member team led by ex-MRPL MD starts probe

The government has formed a four-member team, headed by former managing director of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL), M. Venkatesh, to investigate the fire at HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Ltd (HRRL).

Sujata Sharma, joint secretary, ministry of petroleum and natural gas, told the media on Tuesday that the team had reached Barmer.

“The ministry has already constituted a team, which has already reached Barmer. They are investigating the incident. Only after their report is received, we will be able to share what happened, how it happened and how much time it will take to repair,” she said while addressing the media on the developments in West Asia and fuel stock situation in the country.

On Monday, a fire broke out at the 9-million-tonne-per-annum facility, a joint venture of state-run Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd and the Rajasthan government, a day before the planned inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The prime minister was scheduled to visit India’s first greenfield integrated refinery-cum-petrochemical complex at Pachpadra in Balotra, Rajasthan, with a capacity of 2.4 mtpa and an investment of over ₹79,450 crore, around 11:30am on Tuesday.

HPCL said in a statement that, prima facie, a hydrocarbon leak through one of the valves or flanges in the heat exchanger circuit caused the fire. It further said that all units are structurally safe and unaffected. No other section of the refinery has been affected.

Energy crisis

The newly developed refinery would have significantly expanded India’s refining capacity—the fourth-largest in the world—at a time when the energy sector is facing uncertainty and supply disruptions due to the US-Iran war.

All refineries in the country, except Nayara Energy's Vadinar refinery, have postponed scheduled maintenance to meet petroleum demand. The Nayara refinery is currently under maintenance, as it could not delay the plan due to safety issues.

The government maintains that all refineries, except Nayara, are operating at high capacity with adequate crude inventories, while the country has sufficient stocks of petrol and diesel.

Meanwhile, Mukesh Mangal, additional secretary, ministry of ports, shipping and waterways, said that currently about 14 India-flagged vessels are stranded on the western side of the Strait of Hormuz.

“The ministry of ports, shipping and waterways continues to closely monitor the evolving situation in West Asia in coordination with the ministry of external affairs, Indian missions, and maritime stakeholders to ensure seafarer welfare and the continuity of maritime operations. All Indian seafarers in the region are safe, and no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours,” Mangal said.

The Strait of Hormuz is vital to India’s energy security, as it has traditionally been a key channel for about 60% of the country's crude imports, 50% of liquefied natural gas, and 90% of LPG supplies.