BPCL gets EAC nod to build costliest refinery in Andhra

Amaravati: A committee under the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change has accorded permission to Bharat Petroleum Complex Limited to prepare terms of reference (ToR) for its proposed 9 million metric tons per annum (MMTPA) greenfield refinery and petrochemical complex in Andhra Pradesh.

According to the minutes of the meeting of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) under the ministry held on August 29, the project cost would be Rs 1.03 lakh crore with a completion schedule of 42 months. The total employment generated will be 3,400 (400 permanent and 3,000 temporary) for the construction phase and 3,750 (1,250 permanent & 2500 temporary) for the operational phase, it said.

This will be India’s most expensive refinery project, surpassing Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (HPCL) Rs 71,814 crore refinery in Barmer, Rajasthan.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited proposes to set up the plant at Chevuru village in Gudluru mandal of Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore District, AP. "EAC found the compliance status and justification satisfactory. After deliberations, the Committee recommended the project proposal for prescribing the following specific ToRs for along with public hearing in Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore District, for undertaking a detailed EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) and EMP (Environmental Management Plan) study in addition to the standard ToR applicable for the project," the committee said. The EAC asked the petroleum major to conduct a public hearing and prepare a report with details of proceedings duly signed by the presiding officer, attendance sheets, action plan to address the issues raised during public hearing along with budget allocation and timeline, among others.

The total land requirement for the proposed project will be 2,109.62 hectares. No forest land will be acquired. Out of the total land required, 703.34 ha greenbelt shall be developed inside the complex, which is 33.3 per cent of the total area. The total power requirement of the proposed refinery-cum- petrochemical complex will be 600 MW, out of which 100 MW will be generated through in-house captive power plant and the remaining 500 MW shall be met through State Grid.

There are no National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Biosphere Reserves, Tiger/Elephant Reserves within 10 km distance from the project site. The Bay of Bengal is located 3 km away in the East direction. Buckingham canal is flowing 50 meters east of the refinery, the EAC said.