Indian refinery throughput declined in August as two key refiners carried out maintenance while some states reimposed lockdowns amid a surging number of COVID-19 infections. Preliminary data from India’s oil ministry showed that Indian refiners processed 3.8 million bpd of crude in August, compared to 4.18 million bpd in July and 5.2 million bpd in August last year. High-sulfur grades accounted for 72.5% of crude intake last month, falling from 75.1% in the same month a year ago.
Throughput by Indian refiners stood at 2.4 million bpd in August, lower than 2.8 million bpd in July and 3.35 million bpd in August 2019. Contributing to the decline was a shutdown at IOCL’s 300,000 bpd Paradip refinery. The state-owned refiner said that it would boost throughput on anticipated improvement in fuel demand this month onward.
Meanwhile, private refiners processed around 1.4 million bpd in August, compared to 1.84 million bpd a year earlier. Reliance Industries’ (RIL) put offline its 704,000 b/d export-oriented facility at the 1.36 million bpd Jamnagar refinery complex. Last month, RIL processed 1.04 million bpd of crude at the complex, rising from 1 million bpd in July but lower than 1.42 million bpd a year earlier. Throughput at Nayara Energy’s 400,000-bpd Vadinar refinery fell to around 355,000 b/d in August from 378,000 b/d in July and 426,000 b/d a year earlier.
