Beating the crisis: Strategic oil reserves near M'lore

New facility can store 14 days supply to ward off disruptions

 
This is one of the only three proposed strategic oil reserves in India. The other two are at Padur in Udupi and Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) Mangalore project office Chief Manager S Vijayananda said the oil reserve, to be set up on a 100-acre area is expected to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2012.

The facility at Kalavarpadav will have a capacity of 1.5 million metric tonnes of crude oil, he said. It would be constructed 50 metres below the sea level (the area is 74 metres above sea level). “When completed, the underground rock caverns at Kalavarpadav, Padur and Vishakapatnam will provide a 14-day cover of crude oil for the country in case of supply disruptions,” he said.

The 2.5 million metric tonne facility at Padur and 1.33 million metric tonne facility at Vishakapatnam are expected to be commissioned in 2011 and 2013 respectively, he said.

The construction work has been awarded to South Korea Engineering Construction (SKEC) and Delhi-based Karamchand Thaper, while Engineers India Limited (EIL) will be the consultants.