Paradip oil refinery project to be commissioned in September

The much-awaited oil refinery project of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will be commissioned at Paradip in September. The Rs29,777 crore (US$5 billion) project has already achieved 93% progress, executive director of the project M. Vijaywargiya said.
He said the refinery would be the most modern export-oriented processing unit and IOC’s largest investment in a single project. More than 500 engineers and officers of IOC are toiling round the clock at the project site, he said.
Vijaywargiya said the company is committed to permanently employ members of displaced families on merit. Out of 143 displaced families, 95 families have got money in lieu of jobs. At least one member each from the rest of the families would get jobs, he said. Many displaced persons are already engaged on contractual basis, with regularization to start when the refinery is commissioned.
The major products of the project would be liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), naphtha, motor spirit, diesel fuel and sulfur. Very large crude containers will offload crude directly into the refinery tanks through a single point mooring facility installed 23 kilometers inside the sea and connected to a pipeline.
Environmental protection is of prime importance to IOC, he said. Elaborate wastewater treatment facilities, recycling round the clock, air quality monitoring and sulfur recovery plants with 99.9% efficiency will ensure eco-protection, he said.
(June 28, 2013)