HPCL has selected UOP of France as the process licensor for the naphtha hydrotreater, naphtha splitter and continuous catalytic reformer units for its Visakh refinery clean fuels project. It may be recalled that the company is planning to undertake de-bottlenecking of the primary and secondary processing units at Visakhapatnam. The upgradation has become necessary since the Union government has decided to implement Euro III and Euro IV vehicular emission norms in phases by the year 2010. The total project cost involved is Rs 1,635 crore and the project is expected to be completed by March 2005. After expansion, the refinery's capacity will go up by 0.8 million tonnes. 
HPCL had invited bids for the process licensor last February and the bids were opened in May. The company has already selected Axens IFP Group Technologies as its preferred vendor for the fluid catalytic cracking unit of the naphtha hydrotreater, isomerization and generator step-up packages. 
Engineers India Ltd has won the engineering consultancy contract for advising HPCL on the implementation of the clean fuels project at its refinery.