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New Delhi: Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, along with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, laid the foundation stone of Indian Oil's state-of-the-art Technology Development & Deployment Centre as its second R&D Campus at IMT, Sector-67, Faridabad. The new centre, built with an investment of Rs 2,282 crore, covers an area of about 59 acres. The new campus will focus on the demonstration and deployment of various technologies developed by Indian Oil R&D, and will work in tandem with the existing campus at Sector-13, Faridabad.
The research infrastructure at the new campus includes state-of-the-art laboratories and pilot plants in the domains of alternative and renewable energy, eg, fuel cell, Hydrogen, gasification and solar energy research, semi-commercial nano-material production unit, scale-up/pilot plants in petrochemicals, catalysts, biotechnology, etc. This new extension of Indian Oil's R&D Centre is going to focus on non-conventional energy domains besides the conventional ones and will aim at indigenisation of several frontline and sunrise technologies such as petrochemicals, batteries/energy storage devices, Bio-Energy-Greenhouse gas (CO2) capture, novel nano materials for catalysts or fuel cells, Hydrogen production pathways and fuel cells for both mobility and stationary applications.
Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said, "The R&D Centre of Indian Oil has over the years blossomed into a state-of-the art research institution for downstream petroleum R&D, focusing on indigenising technologies and processes to suit Indian conditions. Indian Oil's R&D Centre has contributed significantly towards the Prime Minister's dream of Aatmanirbhar Bharat." The R&D centre will be a laboratory for alternative, clean and indigenous energy solutions and is a big step towards realising the goal of making India self-reliant in the energy sector and fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Aatamnirbhar Bharat, he said.
Expressing gratitude to the Haryana government for providing support to the activities of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in the state, he congratulated Khattar for making Haryana a kerosene-free state. He said that the state can play a leading role in converting agro-residues into clean energy. Haryana has shown tremendous improvement in socio-economic and development parameters under the leadership of the CM, the minister said. He said that we are committed to make Haryana a leading R&D hub in the country. Stressing on R&D as a key element of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Pradhan urged the Indian Oil to provide further impetus to waste-to-energy programmes in the state and work towards making the state a global model in alternative energy solutions. A community-based model for segregation of waste to convert it into energy will be a win-win situation for all. He said that the state has huge potential to harness the alternative sources of energy.
The minister said that during the Corona crisis, India played an important role in supplying medicines to the world. He said that the petrochemical requirement in the country is going up, and we have to reduce import of petroleum products. He called upon the industry to work towards making India a petrochemical hub, and make the country self-reliant.
The Haryana CM, in his address, said that during the Corona pandemic, the state rose to the occasion, by tackling the crisis effectively, and also providing relief to affected workers. Expressing gratitude for selecting Haryana for setting up Indian Oil's new research unit, Khattar said that the state is a front-runner in not only agriculture sector, but is also developing as a sports hub and is a major player in the automobile sector.
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