Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited

Last updated
Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited
Type Public
Industry Polymer
Founded5 February 2016;7 years ago (2016-02-05)
Headquarters
Lepetkata, Dibrugarh
,
India
Products
Owners
Website bcplonline.co.in

Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (commonly abbreviated as the BCPL) is a public sector undertaking situated at Lepetkata, Dibrugarh City, Assam, India. Included in the Assam Accord as an Assam Gas Cracker Project, the construction of BCPL was launched by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 9 April 2007 and it was inaugurated for production on 5 February 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Contents

GAIL (India) Limited is the main promoter with 70% equity participation and the rest of the equity stakes are owned equally by the Government of Assam, Numaligarh Refinery and Oil India. Ethylene, propylene, Linear low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene and polypropylene are the different petro-products and polymers produced by the plant currently and two production units for hydrogenated pyrolysis gasoline and 1-Butene are under construction.

History

The Assam Gas Cracker Project was first envisaged by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984. [1] It was included in the Assam Accord, a memorandum of settlement signed between representatives of the Government of India and the leaders of the Assam Movement in 1985 to protect Assamese cultural, economic and political rights, by the Rajiv Gandhi government. [1] However, the detailed feasibility report of the project was prepared and approved under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2006. [2] The BCPL is responsible for implementing the AGCP. [3] The foundation stone of the BCPL was laid at Tengakhat, Dibrugarh district, in November 1995 by then Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao. [1] But the location was abandoned due to the opposition of Ministry of Defence because of its proximity to the Dinjan Airfield of the Air Force and it also attracted resistance from local residents who were to be displaced. [1] The construction of the BCPL Petrochemical Complex begun at Lepetkata on 9 April 2007 after it was launched in a ceremony by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Lepetkata was chosen as it did not require any displacement of people and much of the 992-acre (401 ha) land demarcated for the project there belonged to different tea estates and the Assam Government. [1] The initial total budget estimate for constructing the BCPL Petrochemical Complex was ₹500 crore (US$63 million) in 1985. [1] But it kept missing deadlines which resulted final cost escalating to ₹10,000 crore (US$1.3 billion). [4] The project was inaugurated on 6 February 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and it became the first petrochemical project of the North East India. [4]

Administration and shareholding

The BCPL comes under the administrative control of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. The Department of Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers used to be the controlling agency of the project until 24 December 2019 when the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, headed by the Prime Minister, of the Government of India approved its transfer to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

The BCPL is a joint venture with its main promoter GAIL (India) Limited owning 70% of equity participation. [5] The Government of Assam, Numaligarh Refinery and Oil India each holds 10% equity stake. [5]

The board of directors of the company includes representatives from all of its four stakeholders. It consists of chairman and managing director of the GAIL Manoj Jain as its chairman, managing director of the BCPL Reep Hazarika, finance director Pruthiviraj Dash, six directors including Advisor to Government of Assam R. K. Dutta, Commissioner and Secretary to Government of Assam (Industries and Commerce Department) K. K. Dwivedi, Deputy Secretary (Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India) Kapil Verma, Managing Director of Numaligarh Refinery S. K. Barua, Executive Director of OIC–GAIL Pata M. V. Ravi Someswarudu and Director (Finance) of OIL India Harish Madhav and charted accountant Saumitra Sarkar as an independent director. [6]

Production

A dual feed cracker complex of the BCPL produces different types of petro-products and polymers including ethylene, propylene, Linear low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene and polypropylene. [2] The company proposed expansion in production by setting up a second stage production unit for hydrogenated pyrolysis gasoline and one for 1-Butene. [7] The Pollution Control Board of Assam conducted a public hearing in this regard under the supervision of the Dibrugarh district administration on 28 December 2020 for issuing environment clearance. [7]

COVID-19 pandemic

The BCPL has also been affected by the ongoing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic with some of its employees tested positive and treated for the viral infection. [8] Its chief manager Manab Jyoti Dowerah died of the infection in April 2021. [9] However, the company successfully managed to operate in the financial year 2020–21 achieving even 106% capacity utilisation with a turnover of ₹2,819 crore (US$350 million). [10] It produced 2.86 lakh metric tonnes of polymers and 60,145 metric tonnes liquid hydro-carbons during this period. [10] The company committed ₹1.5 crore (US$190,000) for the capacity expansion of the emergency department of Assam Medical College to support the hospital for its attempt to tackle the surge in COVID-19 cases. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dibrugarh district</span> District of Assam in India

Dibrugarh district (Pron:ˌdɪbru:ˈgor:) is an district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located within the city of Dibrugarh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dibrugarh</span> City in Assam, India

Dibrugarh is an industrial city in Upper Assam with sprawling tea gardens. It is located 435 kms East from the state capital of Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of Dibrugarh district in the state of Assam in India. Dibrugarh serves as the headquarters of the Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council, which is the governing council of the Sonowal Kachari tribe.

Oil India Limited (OIL) is a central public sector undertaking engaged in the business of exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas, transportation of crude oil and production of liquid petroleum gas. The central public sector undertaking is a Maharatna, with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas overseeing its operations. Headquartered in Duliajan, Assam, the company has its offices in Duliajan, Noida, Guwahati and Jodhpur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panipat Refinery</span> Located at the Grand Trunk Road Highway in Panipat

Panipat Refinery is an oil refinery located in Baholi, Panipat, Haryana, India. It was set up in 1998. Panipat Refinery is the seventh refinery belonging to Indian Oil Corporation Limited. It is one of South Asia's largest integrated petrochemicals plants. Panipat Refinery meets the demand of petroleum products of Haryana and of the entire North-West Region including Punjab, J&K, Himachal, Chandigarh, Uttaranchal state and part of Rajasthan & Delhi. It stands by Indian Oil vision to become a major, diversified, transnational, integrated energy company, with national leadership and a strong environment conscience, playing national role in oil security and public distribution. Bedgsing younger of the Indian Oil refineries it houses latest refining technologies from Axens; France, Haldor-Topsoe; Denmark, UOP; USA, Stone & Webster; USA and Delta Hudson-Canada, Dupont, USA and ABB Luumas. The original cost of the refinery's construction was Rs 3868 Crores. It commenced with a capacity of 6 million tonnes per year and has been recently augmented to 12 million tonnes per year at a cost of Rs 4165 Crores. The refinery is designed to handle both indigenous and imported crudes. It receives crude through the Salaya Mathura Pipeline which also supplies crude to Mathura and Baroda refineries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duliajan</span> Town in Assam, India

Duliajan is an industrial town of Dibrugarh district in the Indian state of Assam located in the upper north-east corner of India. The town is about 45 km east of Dibrugarh City. It is particularly known for its oil related industry, Oil India Limited, one of the country's largest oil and gas companies. There is also other central government owned companies like B.C.P.L. GDU Station, N.E.E.P.C.O., D.N.P.L., LPG Plant and the Shivani company which is India's largest private company for drilling. Assam Gas Company Limited, which carries out business related to natural gas in India owned by the Government of Assam, is also located in this township.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oil and Natural Gas Corporation</span> Central Public Sector Undertaking

The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) is an Indian central public sector undertaking under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. The company is headquartered in New Delhi. ONGC was founded on 14 August 1956 by the Government of India. It is the largest government-owned-oil and gas explorer and producer in the country and produces around 70 percent of India's domestic production of crude oil and around 84 percent of natural gas. In November 2010, the Government of India conferred the Maharatna status to ONGC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bharat Petroleum</span> Indian central public sector undertaking

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is an Indian public sector undertaking (PSU) under the ownership of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It operates three refineries in Bina, Kochi and Mumbai. BPCL is India's second-largest government-owned downstream oil producer, whose operations are overseen by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. BPCL was ranked 309th on the Fortune list of the world's biggest PSUs in 2020, and 792nd on Forbes's "Global 2000" list in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas</span> Ministry of government of India

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MOP&NG) is a ministry of the government of India responsible for the exploration, production, refining, distribution, marketing, import, export, and conservation of petroleum, natural gas, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas in the country. The ministry is headed by the Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. M. M. Kutty is the Secretary of the Ministry. Dharmedndra Pradhan serving as the minister from 26 May 2014 to 7 July 2021 is the longest serving minister till date.

Numaligarh is a town in the Golaghat district of Assam, India. It is situated at a distance of 32 km from Golaghat town, 265 km from Guwahati, 51 km from Jorhat and 6 km from Morangi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAIL</span> Central Public Sector Undertaking

GAIL (India) Limited is a central public sector undertaking under the ownership of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It has the following business segments: natural gas, liquified natural gas, liquid hydrocarbon, liquefied petroleum gas transmission, petrochemicals, city gas distribution, renewable energy including solar & wind, exploration and production, GAILTEL and electricity generation. GAIL was given the Maharatna status on the 1 February 2013 by the Indian Government, a status which 11 other Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) have.

Paradip Refinery is an oil refinery set up by Indian Oil Corporation in Paradip city in the state of Odisha. It was commissioned in 2016 with an installed capacity of 15 million tonnes per year. This refinery is spread over approximately 3,345 acres of land and is situated approximately 5 km southwest from the Paradip Port.

Bharat Oman Refineries Limited (BORL) which is under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas of the government of India. It owns and operates Bina Refinery, located at Bina in the Sagar of the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. The company was incorporated as a joint venture between Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Oman Oil Company Ltd. Since 2021, it is a wholly owned subsidiary of BPCL. The Bina Refinery was commissioned in 11 May 2011 with an annual capacity of 6 million tonnes. The capacity of the refinery was further enhanced to 7.8 million tonnes per year in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bogibeel Bridge</span> River bridge in Assam, India

The Bogibeel Bridge is a combined road and rail bridge over the Brahmaputra River in the northeastern Indian state of Assam between Dhemaji district and Dibrugarh district, which was started in the year 2002 and took a total of 200 months to complete, Bogibeel river bridge is the longest rail-cum-road bridge in India, measuring 4.94 kilometres over the Brahmaputra river. As it is situated in an earthquake-prone area it is India's first bridge to have fully welded steel-concrete support beams that can withstand earthquakes of magnitudes up to 7 on the Richter scale. It is Asia's second longest rail-cum-road bridge and has a serviceable period of around 120 years.

The Numaligarh Refinery is a division of Oil India Limited which is under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It is located at Morangi, Golaghat district, Assam in India. Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) was a division of BPCL. It opened in 1999. The commercial production commenced from 1st October, 2000.

Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) or Public Sector Enterprises (PSE) in India are government-owned enterprises in which 51 percent or more share capital is held by the Government of India or state governments. Depending on the level of government ownership, they can be broadly categorised as Central PSUs or State PSUs. These entities include government companies, statutory corporations, banking institutions, and departmentally run companies. PSUs are officially classified into three categories, which are Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) and Public Sector Banks (PSB) owned by the central government or other CPSEs/PSBs, and State Level Public Enterprises (SLPE) owned by state governments or other SLPEs. CPSE is further classified into Strategic Sector and Non-Strategic Sector. Depending on their financial performance and progress, CPSEs are granted the status of Maharatna, Navaratna, and Miniratna.

Urja Ganga gas pipeline project was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his constituency Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Also referred to as the Jagdishpur-Haldia Bokaro-Dhamra Natural Gas Pipeline (JHBDPL) project, the project is of an estimated length of 2540 km which is under construction from the states of Uttar Pradesh to Odisha. A paper titled Subsidies for Whom in The Economic and Political Weekly (EPW), published in 2012, shows that only 18 percent households consume LPG as cooking fuel and the rest use other ways of cooking like wood, kerosene, dung cakes etc which is harmful to their health.

The Brahmaputra floods refers to a catastrophic flood event that occurred in 2012 along the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries, as well as in subsequent years.

Barmer Refinery is an upcoming public sector refinery and petrochemical complex in the Pachpadra near Balotra in Barmer district of Rajasthan, India. It is owned by HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited(HRRL), a joint venture between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and the Government of Rajasthan.This refinery will be connected with Jamnagar Refinery and Bathinda Refinery through Amritsar Jamnagar Expressway.

Kandla-Gorakhpur LPG pipeline (KGPL) is an under-construction gas pipeline project in India. It has a total length of 2,757 kilometres (1,713 mi) stretching from Kandla port in Gujarat to the city of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh via Madhya Pradesh. The project cost is estimated to be ₹9,000-10,000 crore. It is constructed by IHB Limited, a joint venture company comprising three PSUs in India: the Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), the Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL), and the Bharat Petroleum (BPCL). The pipeline connects refineries to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottling plants.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Karmakar, Rahul (5 February 2016). "32 yrs later, Modi to inaugurate Assam gas cracker project today". The Hindustan Times . Guwahati . Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  2. 1 2 Bhaskararao, B. K. (2017). Bulk Chemicals from Petroleum. Khanna Publishers. p. 389. ISBN   9789386173997.
  3. ↑ "Assam Gas Cracker Project moved to oil ministry". Business Standard . New Delhi. Press Trust of India. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  4. 1 2 "PM Narendra Modi inaugurates gas cracker project". The Times of India . Dibrugarh. Times News Network. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  5. 1 2 Wang, Henry K. H. (2016). Energy Markets in Emerging Economies. Taylor & Francis. p. 141. ISBN   9781134886852.
  6. ↑ "About Us – Board of Directors". Bcplonline.co.in. Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL) proposes expansion". The Sentinel . Guwahati. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  8. ↑ Chakraborty, Avik (16 April 2021). "Assam: Covid-19 wave at BCPL, 10 employees test positive". Nenow.in. Northeast Now. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  9. ↑ Chakraborty, Avik (14 April 2021). "BCPL chief manager Manab Jyoti Dowerah dies of Covid19 at Assam Medical College Hospital". Nenow.in. Northeast Now. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Despite COVID pandemic, BCPL operated at full capacity in 2020–21". The Sentinel . Guwahati. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  11. ↑ "Assam Medical College well equipped to handle surge in Covid-19 cases, principal S Kakati". Nenow.in. Northeast Now. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.