The public sector oil companies in the country are aware of their social responsibilities and are taking all steps to adopt eco-friendly production technologies and keep pollution to the minimum, according to Mr S. Jaipal Reddy, the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas.
He was speaking at the Visakha refinery of HPCL here on Monday after inaugurating the clean fuel project, meant to produce petroleum to Euro-3 and Euro-4 specifications.
He said the public sector oil companies were posting losses to the extent of Rs 1,50,000 crore and it would require at least Rs 40,000 crore if they were to supply petroleum to every customer in the country in accordance with Euro-4 specifications. “Still, they are making all efforts to supply as clean a fuel as possible and the HPCL project here is a good example of their resolve to keep the environment clean,” he said.
The Minister said that, at present, petroleum was being supplied to 13 cities in the country to Euro-4 specifications and “by 2013, Visakhapatnam would also get such petrol and diesel. “I have taken the decision keeping in mind the peculiar environmental problems of Visakhapatnam.”
Strategic oil reserves
Mr Jaipal Reddy said an underground storage facility for petroleum was being created here to store 13 lakh tonnes. “We are building such strategic reserves at Mangalore and another place in Karnataka. These strategic reserves will suffice for three months, even if do not get oil from abroad in any emergency. The rock structure at Visakhapatnam is found be suitable for such a facility,” he explained.
Earlier, many speakers including the Union Minister of State for HRD, Ms D. Purandeswari, expressed concern over the growing pollution levels in Visakhapatnam and the need for HPCL to address such concerns. It may be noted that the refinery is presently facing a production cut imposed by the AP Pollution Control Board.