The Vice President Shri M Venkaiah Naidu today asked the Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan to expedite all petroleum projects at various stages of implementation in Andhra Pradesh. The Union Minister assured the Vice President that all necessary steps will be taken to fast-track all the projects in Andhra Pradesh.In the meeting held in Chairman’s Chamber in Rajya Sabha, Shri Naidu sought the status of setting up of the Greenfield Petrochemical Complex at Kakinada with an investment of around 32,000 crores for producing 1.7 MMTPA of petrochemical products. The project is being undertaken by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and GAIL India Ltd with the support of the Andhra Pradesh Government.The Minster and accompanying officials from GAIL informed the Vice President that the Centre is keen on implementing this Petro Chemicals project as early as possible and is awaiting the state Government’s response on the specific financial modalities for funding the project as it is being executed jointly in partnership with the state government.ONGC officials apprised the Vice-President about ONGC`s offshore & onshore project in KG Basin and Rajamundry. An estimated investment of Rs 68,000 crore in offshore projects and Rs 10,000 crores in onshore projects has been lined up by the ONGC in Andhra Pradesh.
The Petroleum Minister informed the Vice President that Central Government and private sector is making huge investments in the Hydro-carbon sector on east coast in Andhra Pradesh and Kakinada would soon emerge as a Hydrocarbon hub in the country.Shri Naidu also enquired about the progress of construction of the permanent campus for the Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE) at Sabbavaram in Visakhapatnam. The Officials informed the Vice President that the construction of the New Campus of IIPE is in advanced stages of completion.The Vice President advised the officials to take necessary steps to conduct the campus recruitment for students passing out of IIPE. Officials informed the Vice President that they would explore all the possibilities.Shri Naidu also asked about the status of the “Visakh Refinery Modernization Project” (VRMP) being implemented by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) at its Visakhapatnam Refinery with a capital outlay of about Rs. 26,264 crores.The Minister informed the Vice President that the Project implementation is in full swing. He emphasised that more than 13,000 are people working round the clock at the site and the project will be completed ahead of its schedule.The Minister while apprising the Vice President of the progress of various projects informed that City Gas Distribution (CGD) network is being implemented in various districts of Andhra Pradesh. This will help facilitate access to PNG and CNG for household, transport and industrial segments.The Union Minister assured the Vice President that all necessary steps would be taken to fast-track all projects in Andhra Pradesh.