Oil Refining & Exports

India was once a modest refiner that even imported fuel. Refining was delicensed in 1998, letting private players in, and Reliance's Jamnagar (from 1999) grew into the world's largest refinery. From about 215 MMTPA of capacity in 2014, India climbed to 258 MMTPA by 2025 and 267 MMTPA on 1 April 2026 — becoming the world's fourth-largest refiner and one of the top seven exporters of petroleum products, despite importing most of its crude.

India runs 22 refineries — 18 public, 3 private, 1 joint venture. Reliance's Jamnagar (about 68 MMTPA) is the world's largest refinery; IOCL, BPCL and HPCL anchor the public sector. Capacity is being expanded at existing refineries; the 9 MMTPA greenfield refinery-cum-petrochemical complex at Pachpadra in Balotra, Rajasthan, has been built, and the Cauvery Basin refinery at Nagapattinam is being expanded from 1 to 9 MMTPA.

Instead of exporting crude, India exports higher-value products — petrol, diesel, aviation turbine fuel, naphtha and LPG — ranking among the world's top seven exporters of petroleum products, worth over $45 billion in 2024-25. Advanced refineries let India process cheaper heavy crude from many sources, and India's product exports reach more than 50 countries.

India runs one of the world's biggest refining systems — turning imported crude oil into petrol, diesel, jet fuel and petrochemicals across 22 refineries, both state-owned (IOCL, BPCL, HPCL) and private (Reliance's Jamnagar, the world's largest single refinery). Because India imports most of its crude but has surplus refining capacity, it exports the finished fuels — making India one of the world's top seven exporters of petroleum products.

India is the world's fourth-largest refiner, with capacity of 267 MMTPA on 1 April 2026 and rising — plans would push it to about 310 MMTPA by 2030, with long-term plans for 400-450 MMTPA, to meet rising fuel demand and keep exporting. The next step is expanding domestic exploration and diversified sourcing to cut crude imports, and adding petrochemical capacity so refineries capture more value from every barrel.

Capacity 215.1 → 258.1 MMTPA (April 2014 → April 2025), 267.1 MMTPA on 1 April 2026 (PPAC); 22 operating refineries; Jamnagar the world's largest; product exports 61-65 MMT a year (2021-22 to 2025-26), over $45 bn in 2024-25; 309.5 MMTPA projected by 2030. Source: MoPNG statistics; PIB.