Numaligarh Refinery, TotalEnergies partner for Odisha SAF project
The two companies are expected to sign a preliminary agreement during the India Energy Week conference starting January 27
India’s state-owned Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) is set to collaborate with France’s clean energy major TotalEnergies to develop a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project at Paradip in Odisha. As the statement by the government, the planned capacity of the SAF project will be 200 kilotonnes per annum.
The reports hold that the two companies are expected to sign a preliminary agreement during the India Energy Week conference starting January 27.
Separately, NRL and explorer Oil India Ltd will also enter into a preliminary agreement with TotalEnergies for the procurement of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet their future energy requirements.
The government statement further said that during the four-day India Energy Week, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) will finalise the purchase of 12 million barrels of crude oil from Brazil’s state-run Petrobras for $780 million in fiscal year 2027. The volume is double BPCL’s crude purchase commitment for fiscal year 2026 and forms part of India’s efforts to diversify crude sourcing and partially replace Russian oil supplies.
Indian refiners have been revising their crude import strategies by increasing purchases from the Middle East, Africa and South America amid lower availability of Russian crude. The BPCL-Petrobras agreement is expected to be signed next week on the sidelines of the conference.
In another development, Bharat PetroResources Ltd, a BPCL subsidiary, is set to sign an agreement with Shell to acquire equity stakes in oil and gas companies worldwide.
India Inches Towards SAF Market
As per sources, India is developing a national policy for SAF. Last September, Ministry of Civil Aviation, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Union together released the SAF Feasibility Study for India. The stidu evaluates domestic feedstock availability, viable production pathways, infrastructure and policy readiness and the enabling conditions needed to establish a robust domestic SAF market.
