India’s HMEL navigates clear path through market shifts

Integrated refining and petrochemicals company highlights strategic flexibility amid trade war risks and long-term planning to futureproof business, says CEO Prabh Das

The current trade war has served only to strengthen Indian refining and petchems firm HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited’s (HMEL’s) resilience, diversification and value chain integration, while lower oil prices have helped boost margins, CEO Prabh Das told Petroleum Economist in an exclusive interview.  Das sees crude as having a long-term role in the energy mix, but HMEL has been diversifying its business to adapt to changing trends, with petrochemicals, green fuels, speciality chemicals and AI all important parts of its overall strategy. HMEL operates the Guru Gobind Singh Refinery, located in Bathinda in India’s Punjab region. This is a modern, integrated refinery-petrochemical complex. It inclu