India's BPCL Signs Contract for 4,000 Tons/Day Jet Fuel Unit Revamp Project

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 14, Danish chemical technology company Topsoe announced that it has signed a process technology licensing agreement with India's Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to provide kerosene hydrotreating technology for its refinery in Mumbai, for the revamp of an existing kerosene hydrotreating unit with a daily processing capacity of 4,000 tons. After the revamp, the unit is planned to process a blend of 5% waste cooking oil and 95% conventional feedstock to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and conventional aviation kerosene. The project has reached a final investment decision, the revamp work is underway, and commissioning and operation are expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

Under the agreement, Topsoe will provide BPCL with kerosene hydrotreating technology suitable for co-processing of renewable feedstocks. The revamp targets the existing kerosene hydrotreating unit at the Mumbai refinery. The project adopts co-processing of renewable feedstocks and petroleum-based feedstocks in existing refinery facilities, and the revamp scheme does not include the construction of a separate sustainable aviation fuel production unit. This technology license covers process adjustments to the existing unit, enabling it to introduce waste cooking oil feedstock during conventional kerosene processing.

The contract was advanced jointly by Alok Verma, Managing Director of Topsoe Asia Pacific, and relevant executives of BPCL. Sankar M, Executive Director of BPCL Mumbai Refinery, Sanjeev Kumar, Executive Director of Aviation Business, and Anurag Saraogi, Executive Director of Biofuels Business, participated in the project cooperation. The two parties have previously conducted more than 20 years of refinery technology cooperation, and this license relates to the renewable feedstock co-processing revamp project at the Mumbai refinery.

BPCL plans to supply the sustainable aviation fuel produced by the revamped unit to airlines refueling international passenger flights at Indian airports. India has set sustainable aviation fuel blending targets for international flights: 1% in 2027, rising to 2% in 2028, and reaching 5% in 2030. The relevant fuel supply will target India's international air transport market.