India: Product placement

India is investing heavily in refining capacity to meet rising local demand and boost fuel exports

Undeterred by a surprise dip in gasoline demand earlier this year, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi is pushing on with the grand plan of turning the nation into a regional refining hub. The recently-announced centrepiece of the vision will be the $26bn-32bn plant in western Maharashtra state with a capacity of 60m tonnes a year that will closely match that of India's biggest existing refinery, the Reliance Industries-owned facility in neighbouring Gujarat state. Construction of the complex, which will produce gasoline, diesel, liquefied petroleum gas, aviation turbine fuel, and feedstock for petrochemical plants in the plastic, chemical and textile industries, should start later this year