GUWAHATI, June 2 � Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) posted a record sales turnover of Rs 8,972.19 crore in the financial year 2010-11, the highest ever since commissioning of the refinery and registering a growth of 13.9 per cent over previous year�s turnover of Rs 7,874.09 crore.
An NRL statement said that while profit before tax (PBT) was recorded at Rs 414.54 crore, a 14.6 per cent increase over last year�s figure of Rs 361.71 crore, net profit at Rs 279.26 crore rose by 20.3 per cent over last year�s corresponding figure of� Rs 232.08 crore.
The gross refining margin (GRM) during 2010-11 also increased to $15.39 per bbl compared to $11.19 per bbl during 2009-10. The annual accounts of the company for the financial year 2010-11 were approved in the meeting of its board of directors recently.�
On the physical front, during the year 2010-11, the refinery processed 2250 TMT (thousand metric tonnes) of crude oil�with a high distillate yield of 84.7 per cent. Specific energy consumption (SEC) during 2010-11 was recorded at 69.0 MBN. The refinery also sustained its impeccable safety performance by registering �Nil� record of major fire/ LTA (loss time accident) during the financial year 2010-11 and cumulatively achieved more than nine years of accident-free operations.�
During the year, NRL implemented the prestigious Diesel Quality Upgradation project at a cost of Rs. 435 crore, making it the first refinery in the State to produce Euro-IV grade high-speed diesel conforming to the stringent parameters laid down by the Auto fuel policy of the Government of India. Besides, NRL was also the first amongst other refineries in the State to produce Euro-IV motor spirit (petrol). With this, NRL�s product mix includes both Euro-III and Euro-IV MS and HSD. Besides, various other modernization projects related to operational energy improvement and environmental upgradation were commissioned by the company during the year.
On completion of the Duliajan-Numaligarh Natural Gas Pipeline project implemented by DNP Limited, NRL has now introduced natural gas by replacing the naphtha into the refinery for power generation and hydrogen production, thereby improving energy efficiency and curtailing environmental emissions. In the pursuit of implementing CDM ( clean development mechanism) projects, the company has initiated action for registering the aforesaid initiative with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as a CDM Project which is expected to generate carbon credits to the tune of 43 TMT annum and would also help improving the company�s refining margin.�
The company is now working on two ambitious value added projects, namely the wax project and the naphtha splitter project. The Rs 577 crore wax project envisages production of high-value low-volume paraffin and micro-crystalline wax utilizing inherent properties of North-east crude. The Rs. 60-crore naphtha splitter unit would produce 160 TMT annually of petrochemical grade naphtha, which would to be supplied as feedstock to the Assam Gas Cracker Project.
