Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) on Monday said it has commissioned a residue upgradation facility (RUF) at its Visakhapatnam refinery, a move that significantly enhances the plant’s deep-conversion capability, distillate output and overall profitability.

The 3.55 million tonnes-per-year facility houses India’s first residue hydrocracking unit and the world’s first LC-Max unit, enabling conversion of nearly 93 percent of low-value, bottom-of-the-barrel oils into high-value petroleum products.

The commissioning of the project marks a key milestone in improving India’s refining complexity and reducing the country’s dependence on imported fuels.