Indian Refiners Boost Crude Oil Processing for Third Month

Indian Oil Corp., the nation’s largest refiner, and rivals including Hindustan Petroleum Corp. boosted crude processing in February for the third straight month.

The refiners turned 13.4 million metric tons of crude into products last month, 3.2 percent higher than a year earlier, the oil ministry said in a statement in New Delhi today.

Processing by state-owned Indian Oil rose 3.6 percent to 4.34 million tons after its plant at Haldia in West Bengal state increased production by 26 percent. Hindustan Petroleum, the nation’s third-biggest state refiner, increased output 6.8 percent to 1.33 million tons, according to the ministry.

Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL), operator of the world’s biggest refining complex, produced 2.67 million tons of fuels, a decline of 3.4 percent from a year earlier. Essar Oil Ltd. (ESOIL), India’s second-biggest non-state refiner, raised output 1 percent. Reliance didn’t provide data for its newer 29 million ton-a-year refinery, according to the ministry.