Page 140 - CW E-Magazine (5-3-2024)

Hydrocarbons

INVESTMENT PLANS
RIL plans Rs. 5,000-crore spend on compressed

biogas plants

Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) is
planning to set up more than 50 com-
pressed biogas (CBG) plants in the
next two years at a cost of over Rs.
5,000-crore, a report in the Economic
Times said quoting unnamed sources.

At RIL’s annual general meeting
last August, Chairman Mukesh Ambani
had announced plans to set up 100 CBG
plants in fi ve years. CBG is a green
fuel produced from waste or biomass
sources. It has properties similar to
compressed natural gas (CNG) and can feedstock processing capacity of 250- producer based on our indigenously
be used for automotive, industrial and 500-tonnes a day, with CBG production developed technology,” Mr. Ambani had
commercial uses. in the range of 10-20 tonnes per day. The said at the AGM. RIL has already set
estimated investment in a 10-tonne-per- up two CBG demo units at its refi nery
RIL is said to have tendered out over day plant is around Rs. 100-crore. The in Jamnagar and commissioned the
50 CBG plants to be set up in the next company is in discussions with multi- fi rst commercial-scale CBG plant at
two years. The tenders for the remaining ple sugar mills for sourcing sugarcane Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh.
plants are also in the pipeline. The press mud and feedstock for CBG
tenders have been given out for techno- production. Through its CBG units, RIL aims
logy as well as engineering, procurement to consume 5.5-mt of agri-residue and
and construction, the report said. “India produces nearly 230 mil- organic waste, mitigating nearly 2-mt of
lion tonnes of non-cattle feed biomass, carbon emissions, and produce 2.5-mt
RIL is also said to have revised the most of it contributing to air pollution. of organic manure annually. This would
target on the number of CBG plants to Within a short span of one year, we result in a reduction of about 0.7-mtpa
106 from 100. Each plant could have a have become India’s largest bio-energy of imported liquefi ed natural gas.

BW LPG, Confi dence Petroleum form JV for LPG storage

Confi dence Petroleum India has nam (Andhra Pradesh) and Haldia and plans to invest Rs. 600-crore in
formed a joint venture (JV) with Nor- (West Bengal) to ensure supply of LPG the next fi nancial year. It recently
way-listed BW LPG to build a LPG throughout the country. acquired 12-acres at Butibori in
storage capacity of 62,000-tonnes at Nagpur to manufacture type-IV CNG
JNPT in Mumbai to bolster LPG infra- BW LPG has invested $30-mn cylinders for the automotive sector.
structure and downstream operations (about Rs. 240-crore) in Confi dence These light-weight cylinders, made of
across India. to acquire 8.50% through preferential High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE),
allotment. can reduce CNG cylinder weight by
The newly-formed JV company, 75% and improve fuel effi ciency of
BW Confi dence Enterprise, will set up Confi dence has plans to invest vehicles. The unit is expected to start
similar storage facility across Porbandar Rs. 2,000-crore in the next three years production from August. It is also
(Gujarat), Mangaluru (Karnataka), across various projects. It will spend enhancing its LPG bottling units and
Karaikal (Tamil Nadu), Visakhapat- a capex of Rs. 400-crore this fi scal CNG fuelling stations.

140 Chemical Weekly March 5, 2024

Contents Index to Advertisers Index to Products Advertised