Guwahati Refinery solely supplied smokeless fuel to Indian Army during Ops Sindoor: Official

Guwahati Refinery, owned by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), on Thursday, January 29, 2026, said it had supplied only 19 thousand metric tonnes (TMT) of smokeless fuel to the Indian armed forces during Operation Sindoor.

Guwahati Refinery (GR) managing director Sunil Kanti, in an interaction with senior journalists, said that the unit is one of the very few units in the country capable of producing Low Sulfur Low Aromatics SKO (LSLA SKO) and was the only unit to supply special fuel to the army during Operation Sindoor.

“The Indian Army once asked us to produce a special fuel that would not produce smoke. They wanted it to keep our soldiers warm in extremely cold conditions. Generally, all kinds of fuel emit smoke when burned,” he said.

Mr. Kanti said the research and development wing of Guwahati Refinery later developed the LSLA SKO for armed forces deployed in high altitude locations.

“During Operation Sindoor, our refinery alone produced and supplied 19 TMT LSLA SKO in record time. The product was transported to Misamari, Siliguri and Agra for further transportation to Army bases in cold border areas,” he added.

ED-cum-Refinery Chairman said, “LSLA from Misamari was sent to Arunachal Pradesh, while the product supplied to Siliguri was transported to Sikkim.”

“The LSLA we sent to Agra was given to the Indian Army stationed in the Ladakh region. It is a matter of pride that Guwahati Refinery played an important role in the country’s defense mechanism in Operation Sindoor,” he said.

LSLA contains approximately 1 part per million (ppm) of sulfur versus the 10 ppm allowable limit, 2-3% aromatics versus the 4% upper limit, and a smoke point of 30 mm.

Guwahati Refinery is the country’s first public sector unit, opened in January 1962 with a capacity of 0.75 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA).

Capacity increased to 1.2 MMTPA in 2023. Currently, the refinery’s crude oil requirements are distributed between those coming from Assam and those imported. Mr. Kanti said Assam crude oil accounts for about 40% of GR’s input, while 60% is imported.

“Earlier, we were purchasing all Assam crude oil. However, after the Numaligarh Refinery came online, our share has reduced and there is no fixed amount. The first priority of Assam crude oil is Digboi and Numaligarh refineries. Hence, we are dependent on imported crude oil coming from Paradip via Barauni,” he added.

The senior official also said that GR is constructing a Catalytic Reformation unit (CRU), which is expected to be commissioned in May this year.

“We do not currently have the facility to produce reformate, which is a low-sulfur and high-octane gasoline blend component from naphtha. This stream is required for gasoline production and is currently imported from other refineries,” he added.

Mr. Kanti said the upcoming 90 KTPA CRU will enable Guwahati Refinery to become self-sufficient in gasoline production in future.