Vision document soon for hydrocarbon sector in Assam: Pradhan

Guwahati: The Centre will bring out a ‘vision document’ for the hydrocarbon sector in Assam with an aim to attract investment in various divisions such as exploration, refining and distribution, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said today.

“We have formed a high-power committee, which will prepare a vision document in the next three months for the hydrocarbon sector of Assam,” Pradhan told reporters in Guwahati.

The document would focus on a roadmap for the next 25-30 years for increasing output of petroleum products in Assam and outline necessary investment for this, he said.

He further said: “Investment will go up in all divisions such as exploration, production, pipeline, refinery and marketing. A major thrust would be on enhancing the pipelines for carrying crude, product, natural gas and LPG.”

Pradhan said supply of LPG in North East was a challenge and hence the ministry would invest in distribution of the fuel through pipeline.

Talking about Assam’s importance, the minister said, “India’s base hydrocarbon could be established only because of Assam’s contribution. Oil was first explored at Digboi in Assam and the world’s oldest refinery is still working there.”

“Assam will be a major hub for ‘Make-in-India’ products in the country’s hydrocarbon sector,” the minister said.

Pradhan said, “In future, our business with neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar will increase and thereby Assam’s importance will increase. That is why Narendra Modi government is focusing heavily on the North East.”

“Currently, 10 percent of the country’s total hydrocarbon requirement is contributed by Assam,” he said. “At present, our import dependence is 77 percent. The prime minister has set a target to reduce it to 67 percent by 2022 despite chances of existing 8 percent demand growth rate touching a double digit by then.

“In that case, Assam’s role will be more important as it has good reservoir and we have started working on substantial rise in output,” Pradhan said.

The minister said the annual crude oil production in Assam was estimated to go up by 2 million metric tonne (MMT) by 2022 from about 4.5 MMT at present.

He said that the Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Ltd (BCPL), which is implementing the Assam Gas Cracker Project, will go on stream by this year.

On the CSR activities, Pradhan said Assam had been on the losing side so far with very less focus of the PSU oil firms and said “this will be corrected from now”.

He said the government would set up skill development centres in Upper Assam in association with PSU firms, besides setting up two more nursing schools.

Pradhan, on his maiden visit to Assam after taking over the charge of the P&NG Ministry, said a review meeting of all the stakeholders of the sector took place in Assam for the first time.

During the meeting, heads of all PSU firms, including OIL, ONGC, GAIL, BPCL and HPCL, were present.

PTI