Smoke at Barmer refinery again: Congress blames ‘haste’ to inaugurate; HPCL says no fire

Smoke was observed emanating from the Barmer refinery's Pachpadra area on August 14, 2026, marking the second such incident in four months, according to the Rajasthan Congress. The party accused the launch of the Rs 80,000 crore refinery project, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, of causing such regular issues. However, representatives from Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) stated there was no fire, but an oil spillage problem.

Around 6:45 pm that day, hydrocarbon oil was seen spilling in the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) at the refinery's Heavy Refining Research Laboratory (HRRL). An immediate precautionary response was initiated, activating the emergency system and deploying fire-water sprays as per safety protocols. The refinery team promptly controlled the situation.

Despite the incident, HPCL confirmed no injuries or property damage, and dismissed media reports as inaccurate. Congress MLA from Barmer's Baytu, Harish Choudhary, alleged that the rushed inauguration by the prime minister led to technical glitches, creating new problems daily and resulting in economic losses for the nation. The refinery remains operational, producing LPG, Diesel, Petrol, and Naphtha, with 1,200 Metric Tonnes of LPG dispatched to markets on the same day.