Numaligarh Refinery shuts down two units due to fire

A three-member high-level panel has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the fire

The hydrocraker and hydrogen units of Numaligarh Refinery have been temporarily shut down due to the major fire that broke out in the hydrocracker unit.

Numaligarh Refinery authorities are still ascertaining the production losses. .

The production capacity of the hydrocracker unit is 1.1 million tonnes annually while that of the hydrogen unit, located adjacent to it, is 38,000 tonnes per annum. The capacity of the crude distillation unit of the refinery is three million tonnes while the capacity of the vacuum distillation unit is 1.32 million tonnes annually.

Refinery Manager (Corporate Communications) Madhuchanda Adhikari Choudhury told

The Hindu that a three-member high-level committee had been constituted to ascertain the cause of the fire and production losses.

The refinery was set up under a commitment given by the Central Government in the Assam Accord that brought the curtains down in 1985 on a six-year-long vigorous anti-foreigners agitation spearheaded by the All Assam Students' Union in 1979.

The commercial operation of the refinery commenced in 2000.

The product range of the refinery includes LPG, naphtha, motor spirit, aviation turbine fuel, superior kerosene oil, high-speed diesel, raw petroleum coke, calcined petroleum coke and sulphur.