HPCL Mittal Energy Ltd (HMEL) plans to invest Rs 2,600 crore in its Bathinda refinery for setting up polypropylene downstream industries and new fine chemical projects, the company said on Tuesday. Apart from producing fuels such as petrol, diesel and gas, HMEL is planning to expand industrial activities through fine chemical projects in Bathinda, said Prabhu Das, managing director and chief executive officer at HMEL. HMEL’s Guru Gobind Singh refinery in Punjab meets around 14 per cent of the country’s total polypropylene demand, he added.
The investment is expected to create new employment opportunities for youth at the Bathinda refinery, which currently provides direct and indirect employment to nearly 10,000 people, said Punjab Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora. The minister assured HMEL that all necessary approvals for the expansion would be provided in a time-bound manner.