BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 12. Technip Energies has secured a major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract from Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) for a refinery modernization project in Mumbai, India, the company said.
The contract covers the construction of an integrated hydrocracker and catalytic dewaxing (IHCD) unit with a capacity of 550,000 tons per year (KTA) and a solvent deasphalting (SDA) unit with a capacity of 850,000 tons per year. Both units will be integrated into HPCL's existing Mumbai Refinery in Maharashtra as part of its Lube Modernization and Bottom Upgradation (LMBU) project.
The project aims to enhance the refinery's production of lube oil base stocks, which are essential for manufacturing automotive engine oils and industrial lubricants. It will also enable the processing of heavier refinery streams into higher-value products, improving resource efficiency and strengthening the facility's long-term competitiveness.
The project comes as India continues to upgrade its refining infrastructure to meet rising domestic demand for fuels and specialty petroleum products, while increasing the value derived from existing refining assets.
“This award by HPCL reflects the confidence placed in our EPC delivery capabilities and builds on a relationship between our two companies spanning more than two decades,” said Loïc Chapuis, President of Project Delivery and Services at Technip Energies.
He added that the company would draw on its expertise in refinery modernization and complex project execution to deliver the new units and integrate them into the existing facilities, supporting HPCL's modernization strategy.
HPCL launched the Lube Modernization and Bottom Upgradation (LMBU) project at its Mumbai Refinery to expand production of high-quality lubricant base stocks and upgrade heavier refinery products into higher-value outputs. The project is expected to increase annual lube oil base stock production from 475,000 to 764,000 tonnes, enable the production of premium Group II+ and Group III base stocks, and boost bitumen output by approximately 487,000 tonnes per year. Estimated at 46.79 billion rupees, the project was scheduled for completion by March 2028, according to HPCL.
