India: Reliance to have its 1,400 fuel stations operational by 2017

Indian private fuel retailer Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has set ambitious targets for the future with the company now immersed in the process of recommissioning its 1,400 fuel stations in the country.

After the deregulation of diesel prices, allowing for better competition against state-owned companies, India´s private gas station operators are quickly expanding their business across India. Reliance Industries has already started operations in around 1,050 sites from a total of 1,400 stations it has.

By the end of the current financial year, the company plans to have all of its stations operating, said Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of RIL, at a annual general meeting, according to The New Indian Express.

“Once all our old assets are re-commissioned, we will continue our investments to expand this business and dominate fuel sales across the highways in India,” said Ambani.

Reliance became a fuel retailer in 2006, but had to close down in 2008 due to the elevated price of crude oil, which made it impossible to compete against the subsidised Indian oil companies such as Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited.