Reliance to shut Jamnagar refinery in May for maintenance

Reliance Industries , operator of the world`s biggest refining complex, plans to shut a crude unit from May 1 for three weeks of maintenance, it said in a statement on Monday. 

The crude distillation unit (CDU) is part of its export-focused plant that has a capacity to process a total of about 580,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil, the company said. 

"The other three crude distillation units including all secondary processing units are expected to operate at normal throughput at Jamnagar refinery complex," Reliance said. "The company does not anticipate any impact on its commercial commitments."

Still, the closure could boost margins for refined products such as diesel and gasoline. 

Reliance`s two plants at Jamnagar in Gujarat state in western Indian have an installed capacity to process about 1.2 million bpd of oil. The refinery complex has four crude units at two plants, with each refinery having two equal-sized CDUs.