By SNV Sudhir
Visakhapatnam, April 12, 2013: Not willing to take any chances again, Andhra Pradesh
Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) authorities are now waiting for a
written assurance and firm commitment from the state owned oil major Hindustan Petroleum
Corporation Ltd (HPCL) on the latter’s application to re allot the land taken
back by the state government.
APIIC in May last year cancelled the allotment it made to
the HPCL for its proposed 15 million tonne refinery with an investment of Rs
45, 000 cr for delay in grounding the project on time.
HPCL was allotted around 1,500 acres at Atchyutapuram in AP
Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) for setting up of Greenfield oil refinery and petrochemical
complex.
While the project was proposed in 2005-06 as an anchor
project of Visakhapatnam-Kakinada Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemicals
Investment Region (PCPIR), land was allotted in 2007.
Land was allotted after HPCL formed a consortium with Gas
Authority of India Ltd., Oil India ,
Mittal Energy, and TOTAL of France . But due to reasons unknown, HPCL could not
ground the project forcing the APIIC to cancel the allotment last year.
Recently, HPCL senior officials approached the APIIC with a
revival plan seeking re allotment of the land. This time the oil company
proposed to set up a 9.5 mtpa refinery, which will cost around Rs 20,000 crore
initially, instead of 15 million tonne as envisaged earlier. However, HPCL is said to have informed APIIC
that subsequently capacity would be doubled to 18 mt in the coming years.
“This time we are
looking for a timeline written assurance. And now there are no any land
acquisition pangs as land is readily available which we have acquired earlier
for the same project and also as part of PCPIR. It doesn’t take much time for
us to re allot the land but we are waiting for a written commitment from HPCL,”
a senior official of APIIC looking after PCPIR activities told this
correspondent.
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