Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) is facing operational constraints at its Mumbai refinery following the processing of high-salt crude oil, which has impacted key refining units and throughput efficiency. According to industry reports, the elevated salt content in recent crude cargoes has led to corrosion and fouling concerns in critical equipment, prompting the refiner to adjust operations to maintain product quality and equipment integrity.

The Mumbai refinery, one of HPCL’s primary facilities with a capacity of 190,000 barrels per day, plays a vital role in meeting western India’s fuel demand. The refinery’s engineers are now implementing corrective measures, including enhanced desalting processes, chemical dosing optimization, and temporary throughput adjustments to mitigate the issue.

This development comes at a time when Indian refiners are increasingly diversifying crude sources amid volatile global markets. HPCL’s experience underscores the growing technical challenges of processing opportunity crudes—lower-cost grades that often contain higher impurities such as salts and metals. The company is expected to recalibrate its crude blend strategy to ensure operational stability and safeguard profitability.