The refinery has the world’s most unique distinction of processing 47 different grades of crude / feedstocks from various geographies across the globe.
FinTech BizNews Service
Mumbai, 29 December, 2024: Twenty-five years ago, on December 28, 1999, Reliance launched its first refinery at Jamnagar, Gujarat. Today, Jamnagar has become the world’s refining hub – an engineering marvel that is India’s pride.
ANATOMY OF JAMNAGAR REFINERY
Following are some interesting anecdotes about the anatomy of the world’s single largest refining complex. Proving Naysayers Wrong
• Majority of the experts had said that it would be impossible for an Indian company to set up the world’s largest grassroots refinery in three years. But Reliance achieved that in a world-record time of just 33 months, notwithstanding lack of infrastructure and a severe cyclone that had hit Jamnagar then. More importantly, the job was done at nearly 40% lesser cost (per tonne) in comparison to contemporary refineries in Asia.
• When RIL’s Founder Chairman Dhirubhai Ambani wanted to pursue his longcherished dream of setting up a refinery, he was offered land in the barren and desolate region off Jamnagar, near a sleepy village called Motikhavdi.
• Leading world-class project consultants advised Dhirubhai against investing in the desert-like region that did not have roads, electricity, or even sufficient drinking water. They had warned that mobilising manpower, materials, technical experts and every other input in such wilderness would require extraordinary efforts.
• Dhirubhai, who loved challenges, defied all the naysayers and went ahead with his dream. He wanted to create not just an industrial plant but a Nandanwan. Between 1996 and 1999, he and his highly motivated team went on to create an engineering marvel at Jamnagar.
• The first private sector refinery of India single-handedly added 25% to India’s total refining capacity and made India self-sufficient in transport fuels. The project completely transformed the barren region into a bustling industrial hub.
• Moreover, Reliance’s focused efforts created a green zone in the arid land, resulting in the lowering of temperature and improved rainfall in the region. The Jamnagar refining complex now boasts of Asia’s largest mango orchard, with over 1.5 lakh mango trees. The huge mangrove belt there has become a haven for migratory birds, and the surrounding dense forest houses the Vantara – the one-of-its-kind rehabilitation home for rescued wild species.
