Reliance to replace auto fuels with electricity, hydrogen

Reliance Industries, operator of the world's largest refining complex, will replace transportation auto fuels with clean electricity and hydrogen as it set a target to become net carbon-zero by 2035.
The oil-telecom-to-retail conglomerate, which has pivoted away from energy to the new economy in recent years, will use technology to convert carbon dioxide into valuable chemicals and other material building blocks.
The company operates 1.36 million barrels per day refineries at Jamnagar in Gujarat and is one of the leading petrochemical manufacturers in the world.
In a conventional refinery, three products (petrol, diesel and ATF) comprise 60-70 per cent of the product slate. As refiners increase in size and have access to more capital, they come up with complex projects like delayed coker (or petcoke gasifier). This converts low-value products into high-value products.
Globally, a conventional refinery produces around 8 per cent of naphtha, which may be used as a chemical feedstock. This rises to 17-20 per cent in refinery-cum-petrochemical complexes. Comparatively, Reliance has a 24 per cent conversion rate of 'oil-to-chemicals' currently and may be targeting 70 per cent conversion.
The new energy business based on the principle of carbon recycle and circular economy is a multi-trillion opportunity for India and the world, he said, adding this was also an opportunity to make clean and green energy abundantly available at an affordable price.