The country's oil refining capacity will rise 58% to 235 million tonne by the end of the 11th Plan Period (2007), minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Dinsha Patel said today."The refining capacity of oil refineries is expected to increase to 235 million tonne at the end of 11th Plan from the current level of 148.97 million tonne," Patel said in the Lok Sabha here.Reliance Petroleum's 29 million tonne refinery at Jamnagar along with Indian Oil Corp's 15 million tonne Paradip refinery in Orissa, Hindustan Petroleum's 9 million tonne Bhatinda refinery in Punjab and Bharat Petroleum's 6 million tonne Bina refinery in Punjab are likely to be commissioned in 11th Plan.Besides IOC plans to raise its Panipat refinery capacity to 15 million tonne from current 12 million tonne and expand Haldia refinery by 1.5 million tonne to 7.5 million tonne.HPCL is expanding Mumbai and Vizag refineries to 7.9 and 8.33 million tonne from curent 5.5 and 7.5 million tonne respectively. BPCL is also expanding Kochi refinery by 2 million tonne to 9.5 million tonne, he said.
