IOCL gets nod to expand Paradip-Haldia-Durgapur LPG pipeline in Odisha

Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) has got clearance from the Odisha Pollution Control Board for expansion of its Paradip-Haldia-Durgapur LPG pipeline (PHDPL).

"The consent was given for the new pumping station at Balasore", said P C Choubey, executive director, South Eastern Region Pipelines (SERPL), Bhubaneswar, of IOCL. The approval was granted under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution), Act, 1981.

The Paradip-Balasore section of the Paradip-Haldia-Durgapur LPG pipeline (PHDPL) is already operational for delivery of LPG to IOCL's bottling plant in Balasore.

With an estimated length of about 678 km, PHDPL's originating pump station is located at Paradip, with Balasore, serving as the scrapper and delivery station. With a capacity of 0.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), the pipeline would transport LPG from Paradip, the Haldia refinery and Indian Oil Petronas to LPG bottling plants in Balasore, Budge Budge, Kalyani, and Durgapur.

Earlier, LPG delivery in Balasore was done through bullets. The 157-km section from the Paradip refinery to Balasore was built for about Rs 2.50 billion, sources said. The cost of the project is pegged at around Rs 10 billion.

IOC's 15-mtpa crude oil refinery in Paradip is spread over 3,345 acres, with an estimated cost of Rs 345.55 billion. The refinery can process 100 per cent high-sulphur and heavy crude oil to produce various petroleum products, including petrol and diesel of BS-IV quality, kerosene, aviation turbine fuel, propylene, sulphur, and petroleum coke. It is also designed to produce Euro-V premium quality motor spirit and other green auto fuel variants for export.

The demand for LPG connections in India is set to rise from 18 million tonnes to 25 million tonnes by 2022-23 and is seen growing at a rate of 11-12 per cent annually. About 50 per cent of India's LPG requirement is being imported to meet the demand.