原标题：印度石油公司将大力发展化工业务

????中国石化新闻网讯 据彭博社9月24日报道，印度最大的炼油商看好塑料市场前景，因为它正寻求从一个日益具有挑战性的燃料业务中实现多元化。

????印度石油公司(Indian Oil Corp.)董事长Shrikant Madhav Vaidya表示，公司计划在未来所有炼油扩建项目中增加石化工厂，并提高现有设施的产量。总体而言，炼化厂所加工的原油中只有不到10%用于生产石化产品，但这项业务贡献了该公司近四分之一的利润。从食品包装到汽车零部件，石油化工产品是所有产品的基础。

????尽管全球各地的消费者和政府都面临着减少塑料使用的压力，但亚洲的加工商正在建设或规划石化工厂，因为未来几年对运输燃料的需求将有所缓解。本周，印度石油公司完成了对其古吉拉特邦炼油厂24亿美元的扩建，其中包括一个生产包装和纺织品产品的聚丙烯部门。

????Vaidya在接受采访时表示:“我们意识到，只要在石化行业有良好的发展，就可以很容易地控制燃料市场的波动。就营业额而言，石油燃料仍是我的主要业务，但我计划从石化产品中获得利润。”

????在截至3月31日的财年中，由于石油和产品价格的波动导致利润率收窄或出现负值，印度石油公司的利润暴跌逾90%。该公司运营着9家炼油厂。总体而言，该公司计划将其炼油厂用于生产石化产品的原油加工量增加一倍。Vaidya补充道，在帕尼帕特(Panipat)、帕拉迪普(Paradip)和古吉拉特邦(Gujarat)等主要石油加工厂，用于生产石化产品的石油加工比例预计将从目前的15-20%上升至25%。

????值得一提的是，该公司对印度对石油燃料的需求增长前景以及该行业未来的投资持乐观态度。Vaidya预计，短期内的消费量最早将在今年年底达到疫情爆发前的水平，从而使炼油商能够将加工速度从目前的约75%提高到90%-100%。燃料库存也已接近一个更平稳的正常水平，足以满足两周的需求。

????印度石油公司控制着该国40%的石油燃料市场，该公司还计划向天然气和可再生能源领域扩张。Vaidya指出:“我们希望成为一家多元化的能源公司，而不仅仅局限于化石燃料业务。”

????王佳晶 摘译自 彭博社

????原文如下：

????Top India Oil Refiner Betting on Plastics to Cushion Fuel Shocks

????India’s biggest oil refiner is betting on plastics as it seeks to diversify from an increasingly challenging fuels business.

????Indian Oil Corp. plans to add petrochemical plants to all of its future refinery expansions and boost existing output at its current facilities, Chairman Shrikant Madhav Vaidya said. Overall, less than 10% of the crude processed by the refiner is used to make petrochemicals -- the building blocks for everything from food packaging to car parts -- but the business contributes almost a quarter of the company’s profits, he added.

????While there is consumer and government pressure across the world to reduce the use of plastics, processors in Asia are building or planning petrochemical plants with demand for transport fuels set to ease in the years ahead. Indian Oil this week finalized a $2.4 billion expansion at its Gujarat refinery to include a polypropylene unit, which can make products for packaging and textiles.

????“We realized that the volatility of the fuel market can be easily controlled by having a good footprint in the petrochemicals sector,” Vaidya said in an interview. “Petroleum fuels continue to be my main business as far as turnover is concerned, but profitability I intend to get from petrochemicals.”

????Indian Oil, which operates nine refineries, saw its profit tumble more than 90% in the year ended March 31 as volatility in oil and product prices led to narrow or negative margins. Overall, the company plans to double the amount of crude processed at its refineries to make petrochemicals. At major plants Panipat, Paradip and Gujarat, the proportion of oil processed to produce petrochemicals is expected to climb to 25%, from 15-20% currently, Vaidya said.

????Vaidya, however, is optimistic about India’s demand growth outlook for petroleum fuels and future investments in the sector. In the short term, he sees consumption reaching pre-virus levels as early as year-end, allowing the refiner to boost processing rates to 90-100%, from about 75% now. Fuel stockpiles have also eased closer to a more typical level that’s sufficient enough to meet two weeks of demand, he said.