Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd’s integrated refinery expansion project in Kochi is expected to get environmental clearance anytime now with Tuesday’s meeting of the Expert Appraisal Committee (Industry) for Environmental Impact Assessment in New Delhi ending on a positive note.
Union Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs K.V. Thomas told The Hindu on the telephone that the expert committee, which considered the project, was positive on its assessment though a formal announcement had not been made on the project getting the green signal.
The State government signed an agreement with BPCL early this month to provide incentives such as deferment of Kerala goods and services tax, value-added tax, and CST and provide exemption from works contract tax. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Emerging Kerala 2012 summit.
The integrated refinery expansion plan, involving an investment of over Rs.14,000 crore, is considered the biggest project in Kerala and will take BPCL’s refinery capacity here from the current 9.5 million tonnes a year to 15.5 million tonnes, making it the largest public sector refinery in the country.
The environmental clearance for the project means that the Rs.6,500-crore petrochemicals complex planned by BPCL gets the green signal. BPCL Chairman and Managing Director R.K. Singh had said here early this month that the Union Environment Ministry’s clearance for the twin projects, totalling investments of over Rs.20,000 crore, was expected anytime now.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Emerging Kerala summit, he had said the initial work on the project was in full swing.
BPCL has roped in LG Chemicals of South Korea for the petrochemicals complex as a joint venture partner. The petrochemicals complex will use propylene from the expanded refinery to produce acrylates, phenol, and super absorbent polymer.
Stone & Webster of the U.S. will provide the technology for the refinery’s fluidised catalytic unit. Lummus Corporation, U.S., is the technology provider for the delayed coker unit and Halder Topsoe of Denmark will be the technology provider for the diesel hydro-treater unit.
