Page 140 - CW E-Magazine (14-1-2025)

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REGULATORY NOD ENERGY TRANSITION

Shell seeks CCI approval for Raj Petro Specialities acquisition Oil India to set up subsidiary to focus on green energy
Energy conglomerate Shell Group facturer of petro-speciality products, car motor oils and rubber process Oil India Ltd. (OIL) will set up a Maharatna company started diversifying utilisation and storage (CCUS), metha-
has sought the Competition Commis- including lubricants for sectors such as oils. Additionally, a potential vertical wholly-owned subsidiary- OIL Green into low carbon and green energy space nol and geothermal and other opportu-
sion of India’s (CCI) approval for its pharmaceuticals, energy, and agricul- overlap exists concerning the supply Energy – that will manage all its green “organically” since 2012. “OIL is now nities directly or indirectly supporting
proposed acquisition of Raj Petro ture. Its portfolio includes products like of base oils – a key raw material for and alternative energy businesses for planning to diversify into green and decarbonisation and energy transition,
Specialities Pvt. Ltd. The deal involves transformer oils, hydraulic oils, and lubricants. Shell, a global producer of which the state-run company plans to alternate energy businesses not just for MoPNG said in its response.
Shell subsidiaries – Shell Deutschland industrial greases. base oils, supplies these to its subsi- invest Rs. 25,000-crore by 2040. captive consumption, but to emerge as a
GmbH and Shell Overseas Investments diaries and competitors in India, while well-diversifi ed integrated energy player. So far, OIL has an installed renew-
B.V. – acquiring 100 percent equity in Market implications Raj Petro uses them for blending fi nished The company is targeting non-fossil To address this, OIL has formulated a able energy capacity of 188.1 mega-
Raj Petro. The proposed deal refl ects hori- products. fuel energy to account for 5-7 percent strategy to dedicatedly focus on green watt (MW), which includes 174.1-MW
zontal overlaps in the lubricant sector, of its total energy portfolio by 2030, and alternate energy business and has of wind and 14-MW of solar power
The Shell subsidiaries have fi led for with the parties operating in markets Shell and Raj Petro have contended which will be further enhanced to 12-15 accordingly decided to form a wholly- projects spread across Rajasthan,
regulatory clearance under the CCI’s like motor oils, industrial greases, and that the combination poses no competi- percent by 2040. The fi ndings form part owned subsidiary (WoS), OIL Green Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam, etc.
combination regulations. The acquisi- transformer oils. The CCI has been pro- tion concerns and have requested that of the 21st report by the Committee on Energy, to manage the green and alternate These projects entailed an investment
tion will bring Raj Petro under the Shell vided alternate defi nitions for relevant the defi nition of the relevant market Public Undertakings, which was placed energy business,” it added. of Rs. 1,230.73-crore and the total
umbrella, leveraging its expertise in markets to facilitate its assessment. be left open. They argue that the deal in Parliament recently. The replies of the revenue generated from RE projects
hydrocarbon-based speciality products These include broad categories such as will not adversely impact competition Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas OIL is targeting to achieve green till FY22 was Rs. 870-crore. Besides,
to complement Shell’s global portfolio. the overall lubricants market in India but instead foster effi ciencies and better (MoPNG) were received by the panel on and alternate energy capacity of it is also setting up India’s fi rst Anion
Raj Petro Specialities is a leading manu- and narrower segments like passenger product offerings. October 14, 2024. 3.5-4 – million tonnes of oil equivalent Exchange Membrane (AEM) tech-
(MTOE) by 2040, the panel added. The nology-based green hydrogen plant
PARTNERSHIP Diversifi cation plans WoS would cover biofuels, green hydro- (100 kilowatt) at its Jorhat facility
Suzuki R&D Centre to invest in NDDB’s biogas subsidiary The Ministry informed that the gen, renewable energy, carbon capture in Assam.

The Suzuki R&D Centre India Pvt. minimise the use of chemical fertilisers a circular economy,” he said. In the Thermax, SGS join up to boost energy effi ciency
Ltd. (SRDI), a wholly-owned subsi- through dung-based biogas models. recent past, SRDI had partnered with
diary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, NDDB to set up dung-based compressed in industrial plants
has entered into an agreement with the Dr. Meenesh Shah, Chairman, biogas plants in Gujarat. Currently, SGS, the Swiss testing, inspection provide continuous oversight of energy Product Manager for Energy at SGS.
National Dairy Development Board NDDB hailed the unique partnership work on four such plants is underway in and certifi cation company, is partnering consumption, enabling data-driven energy Leveraging Thermax’s expertise in
(NDDB) at Anand to invest in its between the dairy and automobile sectors. Banaskantha district with Banas Dairy. with Pune-based energy and environ- effi ciency programmes. “Energy inten- utilities and its energy saving solutions
biogas subsidiary, NDDB Mrida. “This will create more value for dairy Additional plants are also planned in mental solutions specialist, Thermax, to sive industries, such as batch processing allows us to offer consultancy solutions
farmers through the effi cient utilisation collaboration with Amul Dairy, Dudh- enhance energy effi ciency in industrial plants, can signifi cantly benefi t from with specialised and detailed assess-
As per the agreement, SRDI will of dung to produce clean energy and sagar Dairy and other dairy cooper- plants these insights to enhance their specifi c ments tailored to clients’ specifi c needs,
invest in NDDB’s wholly-owned sub- organic fertilisers, while also promoting atives. energy consumption (SEC) fi gures, along with clear recommendations for
sidiary, NDDB Mrida, which promotes “Combining our global presence driving effi ciency and sustainability,” improving effi ciency and reducing
household-level biogas plants and man- ADDITIONAL CHARGE with Thermax’s expertise in industrial said Mr. Francesco Crudele, Global costs, he added.
ages the fi rst-of-its-kind dung-based Dr. C. Anandharamakrishnan is new Director utilities and cutting-edge technology
large-capacity biogas plant, where bio- will help industrial facilities to reduce Fire at Heubach’s Roha facility
gas is used to meet the energy needs of of CSIR-NEERI costs, enhance operational effi ciency
a dairy plant. Mrida also produces and and achieve sustainability goals,” SGS Pigments and dyes maker, Heubach cause of the incident and assessing the
markets slurry-based organic fertilisers Dr. C. Anandharamakrishnan, Direc- Laxminarayan Innovation Technological said in a press note. Colorants India Ltd., has informed extent of damage,” the company said
under the Sudhan brand. The quantum tor, CSIR-National Institute for Inter- University (LITU), Nagpur. Dr. Anandha- about a fi re incident at its plant located in a stock exchange fi ling. The damage
of investment proposed to be made by disciplinary Science and Technology ramakrishnan is a renowned chemical Through this collaboration, SGS in Roha, Maharashtra. The fi re broke out caused due to the fi re accident is
SRDI has not been made public. (CSIR-NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram, has engineer and academician. He also will seek to leverage Thermax’s exper- on January 1, 2025, at a warehouse used adequately covered by the insur-
assumed additional charge as Director, served as Director, National Institute of tise in industrial energy and environ- for storage of pigment in process goods ance, the company added. In Octo-
As a joint venture company of CSIR-National Environmental Engineer- Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and mental solutions. Thermax’s advanced used for fi nal manufacturing.“There ber 2024, Sudarshan Chemical In-
NDDB and SRDI, Mrida is expected ing Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Management (NIFTEM), Thanjavur, digital solutions will play a crucial role have been no injuries or dustries Ltd. (SCIL) had agreed
to advance the vision of both organisa- Nagpur. He succeeds Dr. Atul N. Vaidya, where he successfully translated scienti- in the initial phase of data collection by casualties. The company has temporarily to acquire Germany-based parent
tions by providing clean energy in vari- who superannuated and has recently fi c innovations into practical applications facilitating the process. Furthermore, suspended operations at the factory company, Heubach Group, in a combi-
ous forms and organic fertilisers that been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of for wealth creation. real-time monitoring and analytics will and is currently investigating the root nation of an asset and share deal.

140 Chemical Weekly January 14, 2025 Chemical Weekly January 14, 2025 141

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