HPCL probes Barmer refinery fire that postponed PM Modi inauguration
HPCL is looking into a recent fire at its Barmer refinery in Rajasthan, which broke out on April 20, 2026, and hit the main crude processing unit.
Both HPCL and the Ministry of Petroleum have set up teams to find out what went wrong.
The incident even led to the postponement of Prime Minister Modi's planned inauguration ceremony.
Barmer fire not affecting near-term supply
The Barmer refinery was supposed to boost India's fuel output from Q3 2026 onwards, but this fire has put its timeline in question.
Experts say there will not be any immediate impact on India's near-term product availability since the plant was not fully running yet.
As Kpler analyst Sumit Ritolia put it, "From a supply standpoint, the Rajasthan refinery fire incident does not alter India's near-term product availability. The refinery was not yet contributing to the product pool, and any meaningful output had only been expected from Q3 2026 onwards," he added.