NEW DELHI, May 5, 2026, 23:32 IST
Reliance Industries is set to take down a crude unit and several secondary units at its 660,000 bpd Jamnagar refinery for three to four weeks starting later this month, four sources said, putting one of India’s biggest fuel plants offline for planned maintenance during a tricky patch for the country’s energy supply. Quantum Commodity Intelligence said Reliance postponed the shutdown, now aiming to begin work on the Jamnagar domestic tariff area crude unit in mid-May.
Timing is critical here, with India still working to maintain fuel supplies as supply chains stay stretched. On Monday, Reliance announced it’s scaling back alkylates output—the high-octane gasoline blendstock—and shifting feedstock to ramp up liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, production. Reliance said LPG output has already jumped to more than three times its level before the conflict. “This has been done to bridge part of the gap,” the company told Reuters, pointing to missing LPG imports from the Middle East. Reuters
One source quoted by Reuters said the shutdown will begin once Nayara Energy brings its 400,000 bpd Vadinar refinery in Gujarat back online. The refinery, which is mostly controlled by Russian interests including Rosneft, has been completely offline for maintenance since April 9. Last week, Sujata Sharma, joint secretary at India’s federal oil ministry, said the facility should be up and running again by mid-May.
The crude unit breaks down oil into various streams—these eventually turn into products like petrol, diesel, and jet fuel. Then, secondary units take over, converting those streams into end-products or boosting their value. At Reliance’s Jamnagar complex—the largest and most complex single-site refinery anywhere—there’s capacity for 1.4 million barrels per day. Major installations include a fluidised catalytic cracker, a coker, an alkylation unit, and a refinery off-gas cracker.
The refinery facing the planned outage is geared toward India’s domestic needs. Reliance’s other unit, the 704,000 bpd Jamnagar plant, is built for exports, which gives the company some flexibility to adjust operations. Still, shifting all production between markets isn’t straightforward.
Officials are working to reassure consumers. “We have adequate supplies of liquefied petroleum gas, petrol, and diesel,” Sharma told reporters on April 28, emphasizing there’s been no hike at the pump and calling on buyers to avoid panic purchases. Reuters
Competition remains stiff, though options are few. In early April, Sharma noted that Indian Oil Corp and Bharat Petroleum Corp—both refiners—delayed scheduled maintenance work to keep up with domestic demand. Nayara, on the other hand, proceeded with its Vadinar shutdown. That move, Sharma said, will squeeze LPG supply.
Reliance wrapped up the session on the NSE at 1,463.60 rupees, just a sliver higher—up 0.03%. Shares moved in a tight band, ranging from 1,450.00 to 1,473.40 rupees. Trading had already concluded in India well ahead of the dateline.
Reliance’s refining unit has been feeling the strain, as its latest numbers showed. “Never have we seen this kind of shortage in the market,” Reliance’s chief operating officer for supply and trading, Srinivas Tuttagunta, told analysts during the company’s quarterly call, pointing to a squeeze on raw materials. Chairman Mukesh Ambani blamed the war in West Asia for what he called an “unprecedented dislocation” across global supply chains. Reuters
Crude prices swung sharply; Brent slid nearly 3% on Tuesday to settle at $110.61 a barrel. The move followed signs that a tentative U.S.-Iran ceasefire was holding, with a U.S.-flagged vessel making its way through the Strait of Hormuz. But even with that drop, levels stay steep enough to keep squeezing import-heavy refiners and pushing up India’s fuel costs.
Timing’s the wildcard here. Should Nayara’s restart get delayed, or if Reliance’s maintenance drags on past schedule, India stands to lose part of the supply buffer officials and refiners have been working to restore. On the other hand, if Vadinar comes back online without hiccups and Reliance wraps up its three-to-four-week turnaround on time, the market can handle the outage.
Reliance hasn’t made any public statement about the shutdown. So far, reports describe the stoppage as routine maintenance rather than an emergency, and there’s no confirmation yet that this planned work by itself would trigger a shortage.
