Centre to support Digboi refinery expansion; plans to double NE's oil & gas production

GUWAHATI: Union Minister for Petroleum Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday agreed to support the expansion of the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd's (IOCL) Digboi refinery.

This was a demand put forward by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who also said that NRL's expansion project is also in progress and the refinery will bring in crude from Paradip Port at a conference on 'E&P Investment Opportunities in Northeastern Region' in Guwahati.

"We will still have surplus crude in Upper Assam and expansion of Digboi refinery will satisfy our stakeholders,' said Sarma to which Puri responded and said, "The centre will support the proposal for expansion of the refinery."

NRL is increasing its capacity from 3.0 MMTPA to 9.0 MMTPA and the project is to be completed in four years at a cost of Rs. 22,000 crores.

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Puri also asserted on the centre has plans to double the oil and gas production in the Northeast region from 9 MMTOE to 18 MMTOE in the next four years.

Centre to expand the region's exploration acreage from 30,000 sq km to 60,000 sq km and 20,000 sq has been already awarded under Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) in the last three years, Puri informed.

A dedicated service provider hub will be set up in the region to support the requirement of the oil and gas industry in collaboration with state governments as well.

A total of six geographical areas (GAs) comprising 18 districts of Assam and Tripura are on offer under the 11th round of City Gas Distribution Bid Rounder for developing the CGD.

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