Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan has said that the Government of India is planning to invest
Rs 80,000 crore in the petroleum sector in Assam in next few years to turn it into the hub of petroleum products for its South Asian neighbours.
Pradhan said this while addressing a Press conference in Guwahati on Friday and said that while the Government will invest Rs 80,000 crore in the State, the Government had already made a roadmap to invest Rs 6,000 crore in the current financial year.
“The investment will be done for capacity enhancement of the refineries and upgrading infrastructure and other related issues,” he said adding that the plan is to enhance the refining capacity of the four refineries in Assam to 16 Million Metric Ton (MMT) per annum.
The existing capacity of the four refineries—Digboi, Guwahati, Bongaigaon and Numaligarh—is 7 MMT per annum only.
The Union Minister said that the investments of Rs 80,000 crore in the petroleum sector would bring about sea-change in development of Assam. “Of the total whopping amount, Rs 6,000 crore will be invested in this current financial year. From Rs 4,500 crore the State is getting as revenue from the petroleum sector, we want to raise it in the range of Rs 8,000-Rs 10,000 crore in the next couple of years,” he added.
Pradhan said that the Act East Policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi would help to strengthen the petroleum sector in Assam and boost its economy. “The Ministry of Petroleum will help to augment the economy insofar as enhancement capacity of oil refineries, laying of new pipe lines, replacement of old machineries with latest ones and setting up of new industries are concerned,” he said, adding that the Government had already set the roadmap in our 2030 Vision Document and have already begun our work in a mission mode to boost the oil sector in the State
The Union Petroleum Minister said that the Ministry has plans on the anvil to expand the capacity of the Guwahati, Bongaigaon, Digboi and Numaligarh Refineries. Pradhan said mapping has been carried out and plans are afoot to increase the consumption of liquefied petroleum products and to increase the per capita consumption of power. He disclosed that NRl has started sending oil through pipeline to Bangladesh and plans are on the pipeline to make Assam the ‘hub of petroleum products’ by connecting it with Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and South East Asian countries.
“Assam can meet the petroleum requirements of the neighbouring countries and beyond,” he said.
The Minister pointed out that additional 5,000 pipeline network would be laid which would help to boost the production of crude oil, lPG and natural gas. Pradhan said that crude oil would be brought from Nigeria through pipelines to increase the production capacity of the oil refineries in Assam.
Pradhan said measures will be taken to step up gas production in lakwa and Namrup power plants to the tune of 9 MM CMD by OIl and ONGC. As a result, 447 MW of power will be generated, he added.
The Union Minister said that under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, 29 lakh BPl women will be provided lPG connections in Assam. Pradhan said the scheme will be launched at Majuli, Chief Minister’s constituency soon.