Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) announced on 16 January 2025 that it has executed a significant ₹31,802 crore loan agreement with an SBI-led consortium. The financing will support the development of a petrochemical complex and the brownfield expansion of BPCL’s refinery capacity at Bina, Madhya Pradesh.
The consortium, led by State Bank of India, includes Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India, Canara Bank, Bank of India, and Export-Import Bank of India.
The funds will be utilised for constructing a petrochemical complex producing downstream polymers and chemicals such as linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), benzene, toluene, and mixed xylene.
The refinery’s capacity at Bina will be expanded from 7.8 million tonnes per annum (MMTPA) to 11 MMTPA, catering primarily to the feedstock needs of the petrochemical plants.
The government is likely to provide a subsidy of ₹35,000 crore to state-owned Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) to make up for losses they incurred on selling the fuel this fiscal, sources said.
The three fuel retailers have kept the price of domestic LPG unchanged at ₹803 per 14.2-kg cylinder since March 2024 despite a rise in input raw material cost. This led to under-recoveries on LPG sales, and the resultant drastic fall in their earnings in the April-September (first half of current 2024-25 fiscal year).