BPCL’s proposed 9 MMTPA greenfield refinery and petrochemical complex near Ramayapatnam Port in Andhra Pradesh has hit a key milestone. The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) under MoEFCC has recommended Environmental Clearance and CRZ clearance for the ₹1.03 lakh crore project.
This is a major step toward construction, but it is not commissioning.
The complex is also more than a conventional refinery. BPCL plans roughly 5.4 million tonnes of transportation fuels and about 3.2 million tonnes of petrochemicals, including polypropylene, PVC, LDPE, phenol and acetone. That matters as domestic demand shifts toward higher-value products.
Where India’s capacity stands today
India’s installed refining capacity was 267.116 MMTPA as of April 1, 2026, according to PPAC. Several existing refineries are still expanding:
| Project | Company | Addition | Status | Expected commissioning |
| Panipat Expansion | IOC | +10.0 MMTPA | Under execution | Dec 2026 |
| Gujarat/Koyali Expansion | IOC | +4.3 MMTPA | Under execution | FY2026-27 |
| Barauni Expansion | IOC | +3.0 MMTPA | Under implementation | 2026 / commissioning phase |
| Digboi Expansion | IOC | +0.35 MMTPA | Under implementation | Jul 2027 |
| Bina Expansion | BPCL | +3.2 MMTPA | Under execution | May 2028 |
| Total | ~20.85 MMTPA |
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Key details:
- Panipat: Capacity rises from 15 to 25 MMTPA, with full commissioning targeted for December 2026.
- Koyali: Expanding from 13.7 to 18 MMTPA. Primary processing capacity is already available, but secondary facilities are still being completed. IOC expects sustained operation at 18 MMTPA by the end of FY2026-27.
- Bina: BPCL is taking the refinery from 7.8 to 11 MMTPA, with a 1.2 MTPA ethylene-cracker-based petrochemical complex. Commissioning is targeted for May 2028.
Why BPCL Andhra isn’t in the 20.85 MMTPA figure yet
The EAC recommendation clears the way for construction, but the project has not reached the execution stage of the projects above. If it is built as planned, it adds another 9 MMTPA. Counting Andhra alone, installed capacity moves from 267.1 toward roughly 276 MMTPA, before any other capacity changes.
The global context
India is the world’s fourth-largest refining system at roughly 5.6 million bpd, behind China and the US (each above 18 million bpd) and Russia (about 6.7 million bpd).
Yet in 2025, India exported roughly 47 million tonnes of diesel, gasoline and jet fuel, against about 25.4 million tonnes from China (Kpler data, cited by Reuters). A smaller refining base produced the larger exporter.
Nameplate capacity doesn’t explain this. Refinery configuration, utilization, crude sourcing, product yields, domestic demand and export economics all matter.
What this means: from adding barrels to adding value
The next phase of India’s refining story is less about raw capacity and more about integrated refining and petrochemical complexes. BPCL Andhra is a clear example. With LDPE, PP, PVC and other products alongside fuels, it could:
- strengthen India’s domestic polymer supply chain
- add another large coastal complex able to process imported crude
- serve export markets
The question that matters
The question is no longer just “How much refining capacity will India add?” It is:
How much of that new capacity will be configured for petrochemicals, high-value products and exports, and how quickly can it become operational?
The answer could decide whether India stays the world’s fourth-largest refining system or becomes a more important swing supplier of refined products across Asia.
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