India’s HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd (HMEL) closed a rare tender last week seeking naphtha for March-April delivery, four market sources told Reuters.

The company sought the supply of 18,000-35,000 tonnes of naphtha in a tender that closed on Feb. 10, they said. The tender comes ahead of the start of a naphtha cracker at HMEL’s Bathinda refinery in northern India.

HMEL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The cracker at the 230,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery will have an annual ethylene production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes.

It is in the last phase of completion and will come online this year, said two company officials with knowledge of the matter but who are not authorised to speak to media.
Source: Reuters