Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma is scheduled to visit Barmer on Tuesday to inspect the Pachpadra Refinery site where a fire broke out on Monday, a day before its scheduled inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chief Minister Sharma will depart from Jaipur and is expected to reach the refinery at 12:35 PM, where he will review the affected area near the Crude Distillation Unit.
On Monday, panic swept through the Pachpadra Refinery complex in Rajasthan’s Balotra district after a massive fire broke out.
Following the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit on Tuesday has been postponed.
Chief Minister Sharma has ordered a high-level enquiry into the incident.
Meanwhile, HPCL stated that all refinery units remain structurally safe and that the fire did not impact other sections of the facility.
Thanks to the prompt response by HPCL teams and the state administration, the fire was quickly brought under control. No casualties or injuries have been reported.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has also constituted a high-level committee comprising external experts to investigate the root cause of the fire and recommend urgent remedial measures.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on its ‘X’ handle said, “Thanks to the prompt actions taken by HPCL and State Administration, the fire was doused quickly and no loss of life or injury to anyone has been reported. All units of the refinery are structurally safe. Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has constituted a high level committee consisting of external experts to assess and investigate the root cause behind the incident and take remedial actions on an urgent basis.”
In an official statement, HPCL confirmed that the fire originated in the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) section of the Pachpadra Refinery. Preliminary findings indicate that a hydrocarbon leak from a valve flange within the heat exchanger circuit may have triggered the blaze.
The fire remained confined to the heat exchanger stack. As a precautionary measure, the CDU, VDU, and other units were immediately isolated.
HPCL reiterated that all units are structurally sound and that no other parts of the refinery have been affected.
Reports suggest that the fire broke out within the CDU section but was swiftly contained by emergency response teams.
While initial assessments point to a hydrocarbon leak in the heat exchanger circuit as the likely cause, officials have not yet confirmed this.
HPCL stated that both internal and external expert teams are currently assessing the cause and evaluating the impact on operations.
It needs to be mentioned here that PM Modi was scheduled to visit Rajasthan on Tuesday, marking an important occasion for the country’s energy and industrial sectors to dedicate to the nation India’s first greenfield integrated Refinery-cum-Petrochemical Complex at Pachpadra in Balotra.
The event was set to take place at around 11:30 AM on Tuesday, after which he was to address a public gathering.
This refinery-cum-petrochemical complex is developed as a joint venture between HPCL and the Government of Rajasthan, the project has been established with a massive investment exceeding Rs 79,450 crore.
With a capacity of 9 Million Metric Tonnes Per Annum, it is one of the most significant greenfield projects in the sector. The complex is designed as a state-of-the-art facility that integrates both refining and petrochemical production.
(IANS)
