Kochi: Protests to delay LPG terminal

KOCHI: The commissioning of the Rs 714.25 cr LPG Import Terminal at Puthuvypeen promoted by the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) will be delayed by seven to eight months due to the ongoing protest against the project. According to IOCL sources the work on the project has been on a standstill since February 15, 2017 due to the protest. The terminal with six lakh tonne capacity per year was originally scheduled to be completed in February 2018. The stoppage of the work is also resulting in the loss of Rs 1 cr per day for IOCL, sources said.    

The project is part of the Rs 2,200 cr investment by IOCL for setting up 498 km Kochi-Salem LPG Pipeline (KSPPL) connecting Kochi Refinery, IOC's Kochi bottling plant, BPCL's LPG terminal at Palakkad before terminating at Salem. The pipeline will also feed IOC's LPG Bottling Plants at Coimbatore and Erode. "The completion of the project is expected to bring additional revenue of '300 cr per year to the state exchequer" said IOCL PS Mony general manager and state head of IOCL in Kerala said the completion of the import facility and pipeline will help in bringing down the inter-state bullet truck movement substantially.

The number of trucks traversing from Mangalore to Kerala may come down to 20-30 per day from the current levels of 70-80, he said. According to an estimate 1,500 to and fro movement of bullet tankers per month will be reduced, said an IOCL release. IOCL is also increasing the storage capacity of its Kochi plant. At present the plant is having a capacity of storage for 1.5 days of production. With the augmentation of capacity the storage facility will be increased to eight days. The increase in storage capacity will help in meeting the ever increasing demand of LPG which it at present growing at a rate of 11 percent in Kerala.