August 24, 2012:

India's oil refiners processed 14.98 million metric tons of crude in July, or 3.54 million barrels a day, up 3.6% from a year earlier but almost flat from June as some refineries were shut for maintenance, federal oil ministry data showed Friday. The throughput was also higher than the government's targeted 14.90 million tons. The data are based on India's 20 refineries. They don't include output at the second of Reliance Industries Ltd.'s (500325.BY) two refineries in Jamnagar in Gujarat state, which can process 580,000 barrels a day, or production from the 180,000-barrel-a-day Bathinda refinery, a joint venture between Hindustan Petroleum Corp. (500104.BY) and the Lakshmi N. Mittal group. Eight refineries of Indian Oil Corp. (530965.BY) processed 4.41 million tons, or 1.04 million barrels a day, in July, almost flat versus June. Output at the New-Delhi based refiner's 300,000-barrel-a-day refinery in Panipat, its largest, declined due to high intermediate stocks. Production at its 150,000-barrel-a-day Haldia refinery was also hit by an interruption in a secondary unit. IOC's 20,000-barrel-a-day refinery in Guwahati saw a decline in throughput due to a shutdown. State-run HPCL's throughput fell 6.5% from June to 1.18 million tons, or 279,100 barrels a day, after it shut a crude unit at its 166,000-barrel-a-day Visakhapatnam refinery.

Runs at Reliance Industries, India's largest private refiner, were up 4% on month at 718,800 barrels a day.

By Dow Jones NewsWires