New Delhi: State-run IOC (Indian Oil Corporation) has invested around Rs 3,000 crore on upgrading its refinery at Haldia in West Bengal to meet BS-VI emission norms, a senior official said on Thursday. The oil marketing company (OMC) is set to invest another Rs 388 crore in West Bengal, with which it will set up a grassroot bottling plant at Kharagpur, diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) plant at Budge Budge and lube blending unit at Paharpur. "IOC has made an investment of Rs 3,000 crore for upgrading the refinery at Haldia for the manufacture of petrol and diesel to comply with BS-VI emission norms," Pritish Bharat, ED (West Bengal, Sikkim and A&N), said.
Indian Oil has spent a total of Rs 17,000 crore on upgrading its refineries for BS-VI compliant fuel, Bharat said. "All the retail outlets of IOC will be ready to supply BS-VI compliant fuel from April 1," he said. The new BS-VI norms will come into force from April 1. The BS-VI compliant fuel will have very low sulphur content as compared to BS-IV petrol or diesel.
Bharat said that IOC will invest Rs 163 crore on setting up a new bottling plant at Kharagpur with a proposed capacity of 120 MTPA. This is expected to be commissioned by 2021. The state-run fuel retailer is also planning to come up with a DEF plant at Budge Budge at an investment of Rs 75 crore, Bharat said. He added that the new type of fuel will be required to be used by heavy commercial vehicles for reducing nitrogen oxide emission. IOC will invest another Rs 150 crore on a modern lube blending unit at Paharpur in the southern outskirts of the city, he said.
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