MRPL plans new projects worth Rs. 15,000 crore

Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals (MRPL) has announced lining up projects, including a raw petroleum coke gas complex, worth Rs. 15,000 crore in the coming years.

As per MRPL Managing Director H. Kumar, attempts to produce 'Syngas' (synthetic gas) and subsequently to produce value-added chemicals such as urea (fertiliser), acetic acid, acryilate among others and production of linear alkyl benzene (LAB) - a feed stock to produce detergents have been made.

Director (Refineries) M. Venkatesh said MRPL had to upgrade facilities in the wake of the Centre's auto fuel up-gradation policy to produce BS VI grade fuel by April 2020.

This would greatly help reduce environment pollution caused by automobile emissions, but additional land would be required to set up the same.

It also mentioned about MRPL enhancing its refining capacity from 18 to 21 million tonnes per year to meet the increasing fuel demand.

The land to be acquired for the purpose was spread across four villages and most of which was being acquired was dry land.

"The land to rehabilitate displaced persons was being acquired in Mulur and Yekkar as per directions issued by the state government," the release said.

A total of 75.2 percent of land owners in four villages, owning 80 percent land, have given their consent to acquire the land for phase IV expansion of the refinery.

The MRPL would also take up afforestation activities both at 27 acres of buffer zone and at Pilikula, added the release.