PACHPADRA/JAISALMER/NEW DELHI: A day before PM Narendra Modi was scheduled to inaugurate Pachpadra refinery in Balotra district, a massive fire engulfed its core processing units around 1 pm Monday, prompting authorities to order a probe.The fire broke out in the vicinity of crude distillation unit (CDU) at the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL) facility, ministry of petroleum and natural gas said in a post on X, adding that the scheduled inauguration had been postponed.“An investigation has been initiated to ascertain the cause(s) of the incident and to undertake necessary remedial measures. A revised date for the dedication will be announced in due course,” the ministry said.No casualties were reported, as most of the 200-odd workers engaged in the units were having lunch when the fire broke out, said an official. However, extensive damage to the CDU and the adjacent vacuum distillation unit was reported.Emergency response teams and fire tenders were rushed to the site as thick plumes of black smoke were seen rising in the air. “More than 100 fire tenders were deployed to contain the massive blaze. By 2.30 pm, the raging fire was brought under control,” said an eyewitness.A worker at the refinery said because of the PM’s visit, fire tenders from neighbouring districts had been deployed. “The refinery has 40-50 fire tenders of its own. The additional fire tenders from other districts and Cairn India’s Mangla and Aishwary terminals helped douse the fire,” he added.As part of the inauguration, PM Modi was to switch on the CDU from the refinery’s main control room, located around 200 metres away from the unit, said an official in the refinery. “He was then scheduled to come out of the control room and watch the maiden run of the refinery from around 150 meters,” said the official.The HRRL refinery is a joint venture between state-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and Rajasthan govt, with equity participation of 74% and 26%, respectively. The Union cabinet had earlier this month approved the cost escalation of the greenfield integrated refinery-petrochemical complex from Rs 43,129 crore to Rs 79,459 crore, and had said commercial operations were likely to start from July 1.The inauguration, initially planned for March 19, had earlier been postponed to April 21. It could have ended the long wait and the cost escalation that the project has seen since its foundation stone was first laid by Sonia Gandhi in 2013, and then for a second time by PM Modi in 2018.Officials said the crude distillation unit is the main processing unit of a refinery, where crude oil is separated into different fractions such as naphtha, kerosene, diesel, petrol and residue at different boiling points. The refinery-cum-petrochemical complex, with an overall capacity of 9 million tonnes per annum, will produce petrol, diesel and other chemicals such as polypropylene, high- and linear low-density polyethylene, benzene, toluene and butadiene — products which, according to govt, are “critical to our energy and industrial ecosystem in sectors like transportation, pharma, paint and packaging”.“There have been no casualties, all employees are safe. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, and a report will be released soon. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma is scheduled to visit the site tomorrow (Tuesday) morning,” said V Srinivas, chief secretary.
