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Kochi Refinery

Crude oil refinery in Kochi, India

Kochi Refinery Limited (KRL) is a crude oil refinery in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. It is the largest public sector refinery in India with a production capacity of 15.5 million tonnes per year. Formerly known as Cochin Refineries Limited and later renamed as Kochi Refineries Limited, it was acquired by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited in the year 2006.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1963Founded1

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BPCLrefinery-Kochi-4Sep2026 (3)
Photo: Rehman Abubakr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons4

Kochi Refinery Limited (KRL) is a crude oil refinery in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. It is the largest public sector refinery in India with a production capacity of 15.5 million tonnes per year. Formerly known as Cochin Refineries Limited and later renamed as Kochi Refineries Limited, it was acquired by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited in the year 2006. The refinery is situated at Ambalamugal, around 12 km (7.5 mi) east of the city centre.2

The story

Kochi Refinery started when Government of India, Phillips Petroleum Company of USA and Duncan Brothers & Company Limited of Calcutta signed an agreement for the construction of a petroleum refinery in south India, in Kochi, Kerala.

The company was formally registered, as Cochin Refineries Ltd (CRL), on 6 September 1963 at Kochi. Phillips Petroleum International Corporation was the prime contractors for the construction of the refinery. Construction work started in March 1964 and the first unit came on stream just after 29 months in September 1966. The Prime Minister of India Ms.Indira Gandhi inaugurated it on 23 September 1966.

In 2006, Kochi Refinery was acquired by the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited.

From Wikipedia’s article on Kochi Refinery, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Products and brands

  • petroleum

Listed on Wikidata.1

Kochi Refinery makes Speciality products for domestic markets Viz. Benzene, Toluene, White Spirit, Poly Iso Butene & Sulphur.

Kochi Refinery offers supplies of any grade Fuel Oil (both 180 cst and 380 cst) and Low Aromatic Naphthene (High Paraffinic) to the international market.

Kochi Refinery also produces speciality grade bitumen products like Natural Rubber Modified Bitumen, Bitumen Emulsion etc.

The Fuel Oil has been bench marked in the Singapore and Dubai Fuel Oil markets.

Read the full text

Currently Kochi Refinery is known as BPCL Kochi Refinery (BPCL KR). KR had undergone a capacity expansion which made it a 15.5 million tonnes per year refinery. This project called Integrated Refinery Expansion Project will also mark KR's foray into petrochemical business. It is a 20,000 crores rupees project.

From Wikipedia’s article on Kochi Refinery, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Subsidiaries and ownership

Owners

From Wikidata.1

Acquisitions

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) acquired the Government of India's shares in KRL in March 2001. Consequent to the merger Order dated 18 August 2006 issued by Ministry of Company Affairs, the refinery has been amalgamated with Bharat Petroleum Corporation, henceforth to be known as BPCL-Kochi Refinery.

From Wikipedia’s article on Kochi Refinery, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1963Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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