Indian refiners postpone maintenance shutdowns to meet local fuel demand

Indian refiners have postponed maintenance shutdowns of their units to meet local fuel demand, a government official said on Monday.

Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation were among the companies that had planned to shut units at some of their refineries for routine maintenance, Sujata Sharma, joint secretary in the federal oil ministry said.

However, Nayara Energy will shut its 400,000 barrels per day Vadinar refinery for maintenance from April 9, tightening supply of liquefied petroleum gas in the country, she said.

Nayara was originally scheduled to shut the refinery for a month-long maintenance last year but had to postpone the plan as European Union sanctions made it difficult to secure key items required for the turnaround.