Barauni Refinery, dedicated to the nation in 1965, is one of India’s oldest and most historically significant refineries. Located on the northern banks of the River Ganges at Barauni near Begusarai in Bihar, the refinery lies approximately 125 km from Patna. It was established during the early stages of India’s industrial expansion, with technical and infrastructural collaboration from the former Soviet Union.
At the time of commissioning, the refinery had a crude processing capacity of 1.0 MMTPA, primarily utilizing sweet crude sourced from the oil fields of Assam. Its establishment marked a major step toward strengthening India’s domestic refining capability during post-independence industrialization.
Over the decades, Barauni Refinery has undergone continuous evolution. Through multiple phases of capacity enhancement, modernization, and process optimization, the refinery has increased its crude processing capacity to 6.0 MMTPA. This growth reflects Indian Oil’s long-term strategic vision of strengthening energy security, improving self-reliance, and meeting the fuel demands of the eastern and northern regions of India.
As part of its modernization journey, Barauni Refinery has integrated several advanced processing units to enhance product quality, improve refining efficiency, and meet stringent fuel standards. Key units include the Residue Fluidized Catalytic Cracking (RFCC) unit, which allows deep conversion of residue streams into valuable distillate products.
Additional units such as Diesel Hydrotreating (DHDT), Sulphur Recovery (SRU), Amine Regeneration, and Hydrogen Generation units have strengthened the refinery’s ability to process higher-sulphur crudes, reducing environmental impact while improving operational flexibility.
To comply with India's evolving Bharat Stage fuel norms—including BS-IV and BS-VI—new units such as Catalytic Reforming, Isomerization, Naphtha Hydrotreating, and FCC Gasoline Desulphurization were commissioned. These facilities significantly improved fuel combustion quality and aligned product specifications with global emission standards.
A major milestone was achieved in 2022 with the commissioning of an indigenous Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) unit. This unit supports India’s “Make in India” mission by producing high-quality aviation fuel domestically, reducing reliance on imports and enhancing supply reliability for the country's growing aviation sector.
Barauni Refinery produces a diverse range of petroleum products essential for transportation, households, agriculture, aviation, and industrial sectors. Its product portfolio includes LPG, naphtha, petrol, diesel, aviation turbine fuel (ATF), kerosene, furnace oil, bitumen, petroleum coke, sulphur, and carbon black feedstock.
The refinery is supported by robust logistics and distribution infrastructure. A well-developed network of crude pipelines, product pipelines, rail tank wagons, and road tanker loading facilities ensures smooth movement of both crude oil and finished products across Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Nepal, and other neighboring regions.
To meet rising regional fuel demand and support India's growing petrochemical needs, an expansion project is currently underway to increase Barauni Refinery’s crude processing capacity from 6.0 to 9.0 MMTPA. This phase also includes the introduction of new petrochemical units, which will enable the refinery to diversify into high-value chemical products and strengthen India’s petrochemical supply chain.
With these upcoming developments, Barauni Refinery is poised to play an even more significant role in India’s energy landscape—enhancing refining capacity, supporting regional economic growth, and contributing to India's long-term energy security and industrial development.