HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd wins big at the inaugural Asian Oil and Gas Awards; bags two prestigious awards

One of the youngest and technology-driven refiners in India, HMEL has strategically positioned itself to deliver superior value through process automation of refinery and pipeline operations. 

HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL) took home two prestigious awards—the ‘Downstream Project of the Year’ for its Guru Gobind Singh Polymer Addition Project, and the ‘Digital Transformation Initiative of the Year’—at the first Asian Oil and Gas Awards. The awards programme shines the spotlight on companies with influential roles that led to the transformation of Asia's oil and gas industry—a major industry that powers the global economy. The esteemed panel of judges after careful scrutiny, selected the players which have remained steadfast to their purpose and have risen above the hurdles despite the challenging environment, especially in recent years.

HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL) is an equal joint venture between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and Mittal Energy Investment Pte Ltd, Singapore, set up in 2007. HMEL owns and operates the 11.3 MMTPA-capacity Guru Gobind Singh Refinery (GGSR) at Bathinda, Punjab in India. Additionally, it also operates a 1017 km long crude pipeline from Gujarat to Punjab and a crude oil terminal at Mundra, Gujarat along with an SPM for import of the crude oil feedstock. GGSR is an energy-efficient, environment-friendly, high-distillate yielding complex refinery designed to produce high value-added petroleum and petrochemical products to service the energy demand of Northern India.

As a young organization, HMEL moves swiftly to respond to the ever-changing energy market. In order to meet the ever-growing local demand for and reduce the country’s dependence on Polypropylene (PP) and Polyethylene (PE) imports, the company has undertaken massive expansion in the field of petrochemicals with the Guru Gobind Singh Polymer Addition Project (GGSPAP). Budgeted at ~US$3b, the project would be fully commissioned in the year 2022, well within the target schedule and budgeted costs.

The new complex will feature a mixed-feed 1.2 million-tpy Cracker Unit expandable to 1.5 million tpy, which will include the steam cracker unit, refinery off-gas treatment unit, C4 hydrogenation unit, pyrolysis gasoline hydrogenation unit, and benzene extraction unit. It will also have associated downstream Polymer Units viz. two trains of LLDPE (Linear Low Density Polyethylene) /HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) Swing Unit, a Butene-1 Unit, an HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) Unit, and a PP (Polypropylene) Unit along with captive utility generation installations and offsite-storage facilities. 

HMEL partnered with world-class licensors for the project, who are pioneers in their fields with proven technology. HMEL has chosen the aggressive concurrent approach methodology (wherein the engineering, procurement including ordering, tendering, manufacturing & delivery, construction, pre-commissioning and commissioning phases are largely overlapped) instead of the Gated Approach in order to ensure faster implementation of the project. The project, once commissioned and operational, would add further PP (Polypropylene) and PE (Polyethylene) production capacity making HMEL as one of the largest producers of PP and PE in India. This will help India meet its ever-growing PP and PE demands thereby promoting India’s Hon’ble Prime Minister’s “Make In India” campaign and reducing India’s dependence on PP and PE imports. 

Despite the pandemic, most of HMEL’s Petrochemical Project units have been mechanically completed and      have been commissioned / on the verge of commissioning.  As on date, approximately 200 million man-hours have gone into the construction of this project with the Total Recordable Incident Rate being well within the internal target of <1.0.

The project benefits immensely from HMEL’s digital mindset to use world-class technology to derive maximum value. HMEL has embarked on a digital transformation journey, focusing on ‘Modernize, Monetize, and Mobilize’.

One key project under digital transformation initiatives is the PLMS (Plant Logistics Management System), which will automate vehicle operation and fast evacuation of hydrocarbon products. The solution will also capture accurate data at all stages and integrate it with the ERP-SAP system.

As a part of overall dispatch automation, HMEL is integrating the PLMS solution with an ‘Automatic Storage and Retrieval system’ solution to expedite the storage and retrieval of finished petrochemical products, which reduces manual intervention and boosts more efficient loading practices. 

The company also launched the user-friendly E-pod, an electronic proof of delivery solution and transport portal that tracks shipments and confirms deliveries from the customer side. These efforts have resulted in reduced vehicle turnaround time to 20%, reduced labour by about 20 manpower, minimal paperwork, and improved customer service with real-time, digital monitoring of vehicles.

HMEL is committed towards high standards of safety, health and sustainability with a strong focus on preserving the environment. HMEL has received a Five Star Rating and the Sword of Honour from the British Safety Council for excellence in the management of health and safety risks at work.

Simultaneously as a conscious corporate citizen, HMEL has always been instrumental in the social development of the community around it. HMEL in its effort to contribute to socio-economic development also ensures participation of the community to make these efforts sustainable and a people-driven process in five thematic areas, viz. Livelihood and Sustainable Development, Skill Development, Community Health Care and Hygiene, Education Development and Community Infrastructure & Environment. HMEL through its CSR initiatives is reaching out to more than 54,000 people from more than 11,000 households.