IOCL plans to augment natural gas consumption by 2030

Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) is planning to augment its natural gas consumption two and a half times by 2030 towards its carbon neutrality mission. IOCL has set a net zero operational emissions target by 2046 and this natural gas consumption strategy is part of the national goal to increase the share of gas in primary energy consumption from current 6 per cent to 15 per cent by 2030. At present, IOCL refineries consume around 8.5 mscmd natural gas. Besides, the use of naphtha is expected to decline at refineries with rise in gas consumption. Currently, at IOCL, naphtha and natural gas contribute almost equally towards the production of hydrogen and electricity used by refineries. Moreover, IOCL is expanding its refining and petrochemical business as it plans to invest more than Rs 1,000 billion to increase its refining capacity by a third to 107 mtpa by 2026.