Unable to produce required quantity of petrol and diesel following an acute water crisis in Dakshina Kannada, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL), which caters to about 80 per cent of fuel requirement of Karnataka, has procured blended petrol from Paradip Refinery in Odisha.
About 12,000 tonnes of petrol is being shipped from Indian Oil Corporation’s newly inaugurated refinery at Paradip which is expected to arrive here in four to five days.
The district administration has barred industrial and agricultural use of the Nethravati waters since April 20. With the river almost drying up, the administration wants the available water to be used only for drinking purpose.
MRPL would do value addition to the blended petrol procured at its plant and release it to market, said the company’s director (Refinery) M. Venkatesh. About 15,000 tonnes of petrol could so be made available in the market.
Since MRPL is functioning at about 80 per cent of its installed capacity after shutting down its Phase III operations, it is attempting to buy time to keep the operations alive. As processing the crude right from the inception needs much water, the refinery is procuring blended petrol, Mr. Venkatesh said.
MRPL is also in talks with public sector oil marketing companies to bridge the demand-supply gap arising out of reduced production.
Recycle, reuse
Mr. Venkatesh told The Hindu that the company, which used to let out about 2 to 3 million gallon per day of treated effluent into the sea, had stopped it. The water was continuously being recycled and reused, though it was likely to affect the machinery. MRPL had taken this risk since such an operation was only for a short duration, he said.
MRPL township with about 600 families too is facing acute water shortage after the district administration suspended water supply to the company.
MRPL to do value addition to the blended petrol
and release it
to market
