Bina Refinery aerial view | Source: BPCL, via Fuels and Lubes (Jan 27, 2025)
The Bina Refinery is a fully conversion-oriented crude oil refinery located at Bina, Sagar District, Madhya Pradesh, in central India. Commissioned on 11 May 2011, it was developed as a greenfield project by Bharat Oman Refineries Limited (BORL), originally a joint venture between BPCL (63.38%) and Oman Oil Company Ltd — now OQ SAOC (36.62%). BPCL acquired the remaining OQ stake in March 2021, making BORL a wholly-owned BPCL subsidiary, which was subsequently amalgamated directly into BPCL.
Capacity and Configuration
The refinery was designed from the outset to maximise premium auto fuels while eliminating low-value fuel oil production, achieving a Nelson Complexity Index (NCI) of 11.76 (CHT methodology) — placing it among India's most complex refineries. Nameplate capacity was expanded from an initial 6.0 MMTPA to the current 7.8 MMTPA. The full processing unit configuration is as follows:
| Units |
Capacity (MMTPA) |
| Crude Distillation / Vacuum Distillation Unit |
7.80 |
| Full Conversion Hydrocracker Unit |
2.63 |
| Diesel Hydrotreater |
2.37 |
| Delayed Coker Unit |
1.82 |
| Hydrogen Unit |
0.098 |
| Naphtha Hydrotreater |
1.55 |
| Continuous Catalytic Reforming Unit |
0.84 |
| Isomerisation Unit |
0.64 |
| Sulphur Recovery Unit |
3 x 243 TPD |
| Kerosene Hydro Desulphurization Unit |
0.6 |
Product Slate
The refinery produces BS-VI compliant transport fuels — gasoline and diesel — as its primary output, alongside LPG, aviation turbine fuel (ATF), light aromatic naphtha (LAN), petroleum coke (petcoke), and sulphur. The full-conversion configuration, anchored by the Hydrocracker and Delayed Coker units, eliminates residual fuel oil from the output slate, maximising distillate yields.
Crude Supply and Logistics
Being landlocked in central India, the Bina Refinery depends on a dedicated 935 km crude oil pipeline originating at the Single Point Mooring (SPM) terminal at Vadinar, Gujarat, which receives imported crude from Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs). Finished products are dispatched via a 257 km Bina–Kota Product Pipeline, connecting to the Mumbai–Manmad–Bijwasan pipeline system to supply North Indian markets.
References
- Bharat Petroleum. Bina Refinery
- ICN Bureau (May 23, 2011). Prime minister dedicates Bharat-Oman Bina Refinery to nation
- Oil&Gas Advancement (May 13, 2015). BORL Bina Refinery, Madhya Pradesh, India
- Offshore Technology — Rani A. (Apr 1, 2021). India’s Bharat Petroleum buys OQ’s entire stake in Bina refinery
- Oman Observer (Apr 3, 2021). OQ completes sale of stake in Indian refinery
