Reliance Petroleum - Media Release

Reliance Petroleum Ltd has informed BSE regarding a Media Release dated July 22, 2008 titled "RPL refinery achieves 94% overall progress; Pre-commissioning activities gain momentum"     Media Release:     "Reliance Petroleum Ltd ("RPL") has achieved 94% overall progress with rapid advancement on all implementation fronts of its complex refinery, coming up in a Special Economic Zone at Jamnagar in Gujarat.     The project engineering, procurement and contracting, activities have been completed. Construction activities are progressing rapidly to meet pre-commissioning requirements. Planning for project start-up is completed. Pre-commissioning activities are proceeding at a hectic pace with necessary support infrastructure facilities already under commissioning. RPL has mobilised sufficient resources to sustain pre-commissioning and commissioning activities on fast track and expects to complete the refinery ahead of its initial schedule of December 2008.     During the quarter, RPL surpassed several significant milestones as follows:     • Near completion of equipment and bulk material deliveries. • All major equipments installed. • All critical manpower is already in position and adequately trained. • Pre-commissioning activities gained significant momentum.     The quarter witnessed close-out of procurement and contracting activities for equipment and bulk materials. Deliveries of equipments are nearly complete. Deliveries of bulk materials, including pipes, fittings, electrical and instrumentation bulks matched the pace of equipment deliveries and their installation at site. Focus has now shifted towards achieving a rapid close-out on this front.     The progress on the construction front was equally remarkable. Civil construction is complete. All major equipments, including several super heavy equipments, have been installed and are at various stages of pre-commissioning at site. Structural steel fabrication, pipe fabrication and under-ground piping works are close to completion. Structural steel erection and above-ground piping works are at an advanced stage of completion. Hydro-testing activities are in full swing.     RPL made rapid progress in the areas of start-up planning and operations preparedness as well. Trained critical manpower is in position. Operations and Maintenance (O&M) contracts have been awarded and the required manuals and procedures are already in place. Pre-commissioning activities have gained significant momentum with supporting facilities like utilities, tankages and product evacuation facilities under commissioning. RPL is fully geared to sustain the pre-commissioning and commissioning activities on a fast track in the coming months.     Commenting on the project progress Shri. Mukesh D Ambani, Chairman of RPL said "I would like to compliment the RPL team on the remarkable progress made so far and the rapid but smooth transition to pre-commissioning. The team is fully geared and motivated to commission the refinery ahead of its initial schedule of December 2008. RPL is thus poised to create a new world record for project implementation in the global refining sector."