Era wise milestone of Indian Oil in Digboi,

Assam,India
354 BC The earliest reference about oil and its uses in India is to be
found in shah- Nama of poet firdausi describing how Alexander during his
invasion of India scared and scattered the elephant by sending among
them a thousand horsemen, each filled with a blazing oil container.

1739 Nadir shah during his invasion of India impregnated the

humps of camels with oil, and drove them blazing among war elephants of
the India Army, to the complete discomfiture of the latter.

1825-65 The existence of crude petroleum oil India is found in the

memoirs and dispatches of the Army officers who penetrated the jungles
of upper Assam.

1866 First oil well drilled at Nahorpung, 30 miles southeast of

Digboi at a depth of 102 ft, proved dry.

1867 Mr Goodenough McKillop, Stewart & Company of Calcutta,

struck oil at Makum, near Margherita, about eight miles from Digboi, at
118 feet on 26th March.

1882 The Assam Railway & Trading Company and the Assam Oil
syndicate were the other two pioneers. The Assam Railways & Trading
Company, while extending the Dibru Sadiya railway line upto their
coalfields at ledo came across oil seepages near work sites around
present Digboi.

1889 First commercial well struck in Digboi at a depth of 662 ft.

Now known as Well No.1 Oil field development around this area also
started.

1893: AR&T Co. installed a tiny refinery at Margherita. Kerosene Oil

and Timber Treating Oil.

1899: Assam oil company formed.

1900 The Assam Railway & Trading Company formed a new

Company called Assam Oil Company Limited, to take lover Oil business.
The construction of the Refinery started close to the Oilfields.

1901 Digboi Refinery was commissioned with the running of the first
'Still' in December. its initial capacity was 500 barrels/ day.

1902 The very first lot of 'Kerosene Oil' produced from the
Digboi refinery reached the markets on 2nd January.
1924 AOC started intensive geological surveys of the North
East India.

1921 Burmah Oil Company took over the control of Assam Oil
Company.

1928 - 40 Digboi refinery rebuilt. Crude units, Coker, KTU, Wax units,
boilers & power- house added.

1926 Two product pipelines were laid from Digboi to Tinsukia.

1942 Oil production for World War requirements was actively

pushed up in Digboi and the oil was of unusual importance due to Digboi's
proximity to the scene of fighting.

1951 - 52 Naharkatiya oil fields discovered.

1955 Oil & Natual Gas Division was set up by the Government
of India.

1956 Development of Moran Oil Field.

1959 Promotion agreement signed between AOC/BOC and

government of India for formation of Oil India Ltd.

1962 First refinery in the public sector at Guwahati came on

stream on 1st January.

1964 The public sector Undertakings India Refinery Limited and

India OIL Company Ltd. Merged to form India Oil Corporation Limited on
1st September.

1965 Assam Oil Company started marketing products under the

brand name of ''Assam Oil'' with the symbolic charging rhino as its
emblem.

1981 Digboi Refinery along with the marketing operations of

Assam Oil Company became part of the Indian Oil Corporation Limited on
14th October and came to be known as the Assam Oil Division of India Oil
Corporation Led.
1982 Assam Oil Division started marketing LPG.

1985 Modifications in effluent system.

1996 New CDU/VDU commissioned as a part of Digboi Refinery

Modernization Project (DRMP).

1997 Catalytic Reformer Unit commissioned

1999 New Delayed Coking unit commissioned.

2001 Wax Hydro finishing Unit commissioned.

Digboi refinery celebrates 100 years. GOI constitutes a

committee of experts under chairmanship of Dr. R.A.
Mashelkar, Director General CSIR, to recommend Auto
Fuel Policy on 13th September.
Inauguration of Centenary park

2002 20 MW Gas Turbine Generator (GTG) ) along with 104

TPH Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) Commissioned in Captive
Power Plant (CPP)

Inauguration of Digboi Centenary Museum

2003 Solvent Dewaxing Unit (SDU), HDTF & HGU

commissioned

GOI approves Auto Fuel Policy

2009 Total Elimination of Chlorine Hazard from

Refinery Operation.

2010 Digboi Refinery starts producing Euro- III quality Motor

Spirit & HS Diesel.

2011 Power Export of 5MW started from Captive Power Plant (CPP) to
Digboi Town (APDCL).