IOCL's Mathura refinery ramps up LPG production amid lockdown

Indian Oil Corporation's Mathura refinery has enhanced the production of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) owing to a sudden spurt in demand for the cooking fuel amid the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, a senior official said on Thursday.

All precautions are being taken to protect our employees amid the coronavirus outbreak, however, the round the clock production of fuel has not been affected, Arvind Kumar, Executive Director of the refinery told reporters.

Due to the lockdown, people are mostly confined to their homes which has led to a rise in the consumption of LPG. Therefore, the refinery management has decided to ramp up the production of the gas, Kumar said.

This in no way will affect the production of other fuels and the refinery has adequate stock of petrol and diesel, he added.

The Union government had set a deadline for rolling out BS-VI compliant fuel by April 1, 2020, however, Mathura refinery achieved the target on Feb 1, 2020 despite being shut for in December 2019 and January 2020 for revamping its units, Kumar said.

Talking about the steps taken by the refinery to protect its employees amid the coronavirus outbreak, Kumar said employees are working on rotation basis with alternate day duty".