Reliance stops Russian oil use at its only-for-export refinery to comply with EU sanctions
New Delhi (PTI): Reliance Industries Ltd on Thursday said it has halted the use of Russian crude at its export-only refinery in Jamnagar, Gujarat, as the company moves to comply with European Union sanctions.
Reliance is India's largest buyer of Russian oil, which it processes and turns into fuel, such as petrol and diesel, at its giant oil refining complex at Jamnagar.
The complex is made up of two refineries - one SEZ unit from which fuels are exported to the European Union, the US and other markets, and an older unit that caters to the domestic market.
The European Union - a big market for Reliance - has imposed wide-ranging sanctions targeting Russia's energy revenues, including measures that restrict the import and sale of fuels produced from Russian crude oil.
To comply with these, Reliance has stopped processing Russian crude oil at its only-for-exports (SEZ) refinery.
"We have stopped importing Russian crude oil into our SEZ refinery with effect from November 20," a company spokesperson said in a statement.
As is the case with any large industrial factory, the refinery must have past raw material (crude oil) inventories, which it is currently processing and turning into fuels. Once the old inventory runs out, newer products will only be made from non-Russian oil.
"From December 1, all product exports from the SEZ refinery will be obtained from non-Russian crude oil," the firm said.
"The transition has been completed ahead of schedule to ensure full compliance with product-import restrictions coming into force in January 2026."
Last month, when the US sanctioned Russia's largest oil exporters - Rosneft and Lukoil, the firm had stated that it would meet all applicable restrictions and would adjust its refinery operations to meet compliance requirements.
"We have noted the recent restrictions announced by the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States on crude oil imports from Russia and export of refined products to Europe. Reliance is currently assessing the implications, including the new compliance requirements," Reliance had said on October 24.
Reliance, which operates the world's largest single-site oil refining complex at Jamnagar in Gujarat, purchased about half of the 1.7-1.8 million barrels per day of discounted Russian crude shipped to India.
The company refines the crude into petrol, diesel and aviation turbine fuel (ATF), a large share of which is exported to regions such as Europe and the United States, at market prices, generating strong margins.
All this may change after US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Open Joint Stock Company Rosneft Oil Company (Rosneft) and Lukoil OAO (Lukoil) -- Russia's two largest oil companies that he accuses of helping fund the Kremlin's "war machine" in Ukraine.
Additionally, the European Union has barred the import of fuel made from Russian crude, starting January 2026.
"We will comply with the EU's guidelines on the import of refined products into Europe," Reliance had said.
On Thursday, the firm said the crude oil import in SEZ is a fully segregated facility catering to the production line in SEZ.
"All pre-committed liftings of Russian crude oil as of October 22, 2025, are being honoured, considering all transport arrangements were already in place."
"The final such cargo was loaded on November 12. Any (Russian) cargoes arriving on or after November 20 will be received and processed at our refinery in the domestic tariff area (DTA)," it said.
"All operational activities ordinarily incident to such oil supply transactions can be completed, we believe, in a compliant way."
Reliance, which has signed a 25-year deal to buy up to 5,00,000 barrels of crude oil per day (25 million tonnes in a year) with Rosneft, has been cutting Russian imports since the US sanctions.
The company has huge business interests in the US and cannot risk attracting scrutiny.
Reliance, which bought an estimated USD 35 billion worth of Russian oil since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022, started "recalibration" of its imports soon after the European Union adopted its 18th package of sanctions against Moscow in late July this year.
Recalibration is nothing but moving the import requirement to a different region. And this may get expedited now, industry sources said.
Transactions involving the two sanctioned Russian firms need to be wound down by November 21.
Russia currently supplies nearly a third of India's crude imports, averaging around 1.7 million barrels per day (mbd) in 2025, of which approximately 1.2 mbd came directly from Rosneft and Lukoil.
Most of these volumes were bought by private refiners, Reliance Industries Ltd and Nayara Energy, with smaller allocations to state-owned refiners.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
