Indian Oil taps ThyssenKrupp for 60ktpa synthetic rubber plant

Mumbai, India - Indian Oil Corp has signed a contract with Thyssenkrupp India Solutions (TKIS) for the construction of a 60 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) polybutadiene rubber (PBR) plant.

Located at Indian Oil’s existing naphtha cracker complex in Panipat, north of Delhi, the facility will employ a Goodyear process technology, said a TKIS statement.

The contract is on an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis, said TKIS, describing the project as a "landmark" award for it in India.

As announced by India state-owned Indian Oil in March 2022, the synthetic rubber project represents an investment of Rs14.6 billion (€167 million).

Set for operation by 2025, the PBR plant will source the feedstock from a 138ktpa butadiene extraction unit at the Panipat complex.

As previously reported by ERJ, Indian Oil is building the plant to address a deficit in PBR production in India and meet "steadily growing demand."

"The demand-supply deficit is expected to grow considerably in the future,” the company explained in announcing the project last year.

The tire industry, noted Indian Oil, consumes more than 80% of PBR supply in India, with the remainder going to industries such as footwear and conveyor belts.

Based in New Delhi, government-owned Indian Oil is an integrated energy major, supplying oil, gas, petrochemicals and alternative energy resources.