Gujarat Refinery produces indigenous fuel for racing superbikes & military aircraft

STORM is a racing fuel used in superbikes and aviation gasoline used in military aircraft
| Photo Credit:
NEMMANI SREEDHAR

Gujarat Refinery at Vadodara has become the first Indian refinery to indigenously produce STORM, a racing fuel used in superbikes, and aviation gasoline used in military aircraft, an official of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) said on Wednesday.

“Gujarat Refinery became the first Indian refinery to produce AVGAS 100 LL, an aviation gasoline that was previously imported entirely. It is a niche product. With successful domestic certification, IndianOil has exported AVGAS to Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, and recently dispatched a consignment to Indonesia using Iso-containers. This marked India’s transition from a net importer of AVGAS 100 LL aviation fuel to an exporter,” said Biplob Biswas, Executive Director and Refinery Head, Gujarat Refinery.

“ATF or Aviation Turbine Fuel is used in commercial aircraft, while the AVGAS is used in military piston engine aircraft used for training purposes,” Biswas added. The IOC official also said that the Centre for Military Airworthiness & Certification (CEMILAC) approval has been obtained by Gujarat Refinery for the supply of indigenously developed AVGAS 100LL to the Indian Armed Forces. 

Gujarat Refinery has already dispatched AVGAS 100LL to bulk customers through Iso-containers, with the first dispatch of the AV Gasoline Product through Iso-Containers successfully achieved for the Export Parcel on February 17 for M/s Pertamina, the National Oil Company of Indonesia.

Fuel for superbikes

The Gujarat refinery also pioneered the indigenous production of STORM Ultimate Racing Fuel, which has been exported to Thailand, Japan and Malaysia. The fuel has been certified to FIM standards and used in the Asia Road Racing Championship in Thailand and India National Motorcycle Racing Championship at Chennai. “We have been manufacturing this fuel since the last one year. It is a product which we manufacture as per demand. It was first used in one of the racing championships held in Thailand,” Biswas said.

“This fuel is a special blend. It is a high-performance fuel used in racing cars and bikes. Its properties are different from normal petrol. We decided to make it in Gujarat Refinery as the inputs and components needed to make STORM were available here. Some of the components that were not available were sourced from other refineries,” he said, adding that the refinery will expand production as per the demand for such fuel. 

Published on April 23, 2025