While Trump has said India will buy more Venezuelan oil, Indian refiners have cited difficulties

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Image utilized  for representational purposes only.

Image utilized for representational purposes only. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Even arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump announced connected Monday (February 3, 2026) nighttime that India has agreed to bargain much lipid from Venezuela, Indian refiners successful the caller past person spoken astir difficulties successful refining the lipid received from the South American nation. This is chiefly to bash with the information that Venezuelan crude is comparatively hard to process, and its properties are not precise akin to immoderate different crude, they said.

Notably, the Indian authorities person not yet confirmed oregon denied Mr. Trump’s assertions regarding India’s lipid purchases. Earlier this period successful an expert call, state-owned refiner Hindustan Petroleum’s Director for Refineries S. Bharathan had stated, “Venezuelan crude isolated from being bottom-heavy, besides has precocious viscosity and precocious acerb number.”

In different words, the dense crude lipid is thicker, thus, the higher viscosity is indicative of its absorption to travel portion the higher acerb fig indicates the chemic premix existing people successful the oil.

Further, speaking to The Hindu past week connected the broadside lines of the India Energy Week successful Goa, Sanjay Khanna, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Petroleum arsenic good arsenic its Director for Refineries had besides enumerated that the bottom-heavy crude had precocious metallic and nitrogen content.

“It [Venezuelan crude] would person to beryllium co-blended with different lighter crude, up to a 10-15% scope and past processed,” helium explained. Mr. Khanna said that the company’s refineries successful Bina (Madhya Pradesh) and Kochi (Kerala) would beryllium capable to process the crude.

Importantly, the Bharat Petroleum main emphasised the precedence for procurement of crude lipid from immoderate geography is pillared connected “techno-commercial” viability and availability.

Published - February 03, 2026 07:01 p.m. IST

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