HPCL explores alternative energy

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL) Chairman Arun Balakrishnan, said that HPCL is contemplating on producing biofuel from sugarcane and cultivating jatropha seeds in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Chattisgarh. “It is quite possible to find alternative source of energy in the light of ever rising global crude oil prices. It is neither feasible for oil companies nor the consumers to continue to opt for the highly subsidized conventional energies like petrol, diesel and LPG,” Balakrishnan said. He said HPCL has taken up initiatives to set up windmills in Maharashtra’s Dhule district and more such projects were in the pipeline. HPCL has also decided to develop a customer-centered strategy when the companys top management decided to deregulate the fuel retail business. “What followed was six months of extensive research at the grassroots level, involvement of all junior level officers and inputs from cross-functional teams,” S. P. Chaudhary, executive director – retail, said. (May 19/20, 2008)