IndianOil beats biggies to global technology award at ‘oil Olympics’
New Delhi   11-Jul-2008
India has finally found its place on the global oil map. The 19th World Petroleum Congress, billed as the ‘Olympics of oil’, chose flagship refiner-marketer IndianOil for its Technical Excellence Award to recognise the Indian research and development prowess. Company chairman Sarthak Behuria received the award from Spain's King Juan Carlos-I during the inaugural session of the congress. The award for IndianOil was followed by recognition of emerging capabilities of Indian oilmen when D K Pandey, director (exploration) of flagship explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, who became the first Indian to make it to the World oil body. IndianOil won the award beating global peers such as Chevron of Saudi Aramco and US. The award was given for IndianOil's path-breaking work in hydro processing technology for production of green fuels. The hydro processing or diesel hydro-treating technology is closely guarded the world over. It is the technology of choice for secondary conversion. "This award recognises IndianOil's efforts towards improving the quality of life of communities through developing and supplying green fuels," the company said in a release. Select international technology licensors such as Chevron, UOP, IFP, etc. supply the hydroprocessing technology and enjoy a monopoly on this highly expensive and complex technology. Each of these technologies is based upon exclusive proprietary component developed by each licensor. Development of this technology indigenously is the result of extensive and painstaking research by IndianOil's scientists and has given a major boost to India's auto fuel policy.