The Hindu Business Line : MRPL to retail under `HiQ' brand name

Mr Subir Raha said the detailed feasibility report for enhancing the capacity of the existing MRPL refinery to 15 million tonnes was ready and would be placed before the board this month.

Kolkata , Jan.18

Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) has prepared a roadmap for launching retail outlets in 2006-07 under the brand name of `HiQ.' The proposal for expanding the refining capacity from 9.6 million tonnes to 15 mt will be placed for board approval this month.

Talking to newspersons here on Wednesday, the ONGC Chairman, Mr Subir Raha, said that the company had decided to launch two more demonstration ONGC Value (`OvaL RelaxTop') outlets during the current year. ONGC had launched its first OvaL RelaxTop outlet in Mangalore in early 2005.

"We have finalised the brand name of MRPL outlets as HiQ (a short form of High Quality) and will be entering retailing in 2006-07," Mr Raha said.

Capacity expansion: He said the detailed feasibility report (DFR) for enhancing the capacity of the existing MRPL refinery to 15 mt was ready and would be placed before the board this month.

"The proposal for setting up an additional 15-mt capacity will be finalised following market study," he said.

Tripura power: On the gas-based ONGC Tripura Power, he said that the DFR was ready and would be placed before the ONGC board at its next meeting. "We are expecting to issue project management and engineering, procurement and construction contracts for the project this fiscal to be followed by ordering equipment."

PMT: On Panna-Mukta-Tapti (PMT), he said that following withdrawal of the administered pricing mechanism last year, the Centre had requested the joint venture to continue supplying 6 million standard cubic metre (mmscmd) gas to GAIL and $3.86 per million metric british thermal unit (mmbtu) for one year ending March 2006.