Indian Oil Corp. Ltd started the trial run at its new integrated finished lubricant complex at Manali, Chennai. Once fully up and running, Manali will be the world’s second-largest lubricant plant.
The 140 billion rupee (U.S.$1.62 billion) project will have capacity of 672,000 metric tons per year of grease, transformer oil, white oil, brake oil, diesel exhaust fluid, coolant and bitumen grades.
IOCL is consolidating several existing facilities from the region around Tondiarpet and Korukkupet to the new facility in Manali.
Base oil feedstock will come from the nearby Chennai Petroleum Corp. Ltd refinery, as well as via Chennai Port. Finished products will be distributed by truck in tanks, barrels and smaller containers.
The project is timely, as India’s car parc and industrial base are swelling rapidly. Car sales grew by more than 8% in 2023-24, compared with less than 1% in Europe.