Orissa plans to have PCPIR region at Paradeep

Bhubaneswar, Feb 4 (UNI) The Orissa government in association with the Central Government and private parties is planning to set up a Petroleum Chemical and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) in Paradeep.

The state government will be competing with five other littoral states--Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal to bag the mega project.

Chief Secretary Ajit Tripathy told newspersons that the state government had submitted an application to the department of Chemical and Petro Chemical for setting up of the project in Paradeep.

He said if the project was set up in Orissa it would attract an investment of Rs 275,375 crore in petroleum and Chemical sector and create employment opportunities for 6.5 lakh people.

Within next couple of decades exports from the region would reach Rs 43,000 crore. The state government, Mr Tripathy said had identified 284.15 sq km of area close to the Rs 29,000 crore proposed oil refinery for the PCPIR.

An expert team of the union government will be vesting Orissa in the second or third week of this month for the site assessment, the Chief Secretary said.

The IL&FS, a leading assets management company and L&T Rambol Consulting Engineering Limited had prepared a project report for the PCPIR including a regional master plan for the infrastructure development in the area.

As per the plan the PCPIR would be set up in two zones-processing zone and non processing zone.

While the processing zone would come up over 100 sq km of land the non processing zone would be spread over 150 sq km.

The processing zone proposed over 43.29 per cent of the total area would comprise of petro chemical related industrial units, industrial parks, common facilities, R &D centres and paradeep port.

The non processing area comprising of 56.71 per cent of the paradeep PCPIR would comprise of residential areas with integrated social infrastructure, existing settlements and green areas.

There would be no displacement and the existing villages and panchayats would be developed as global villages with all modern facilities under the inclusive growth and planning scheme.

The government would create Greater Paradeep Development Authority for the development of the township and would spend Rs 4500 crore for infrastructure development.

IOCL proposed to invest about Rs 25,646 crores in Paradeep PCPIR and envisaged to implement the project in two phases.

while in phase one 15 MMTPA fuels refinery along with facilities for production of paraxylene, polypropylene and styrene monomer would be made in phase two Naptha Cracker along with down stream polymer units, additional production of polypropylene, HDPE, LLDPE, MEG would be made.

The Orissa government was hopeful of getting the project as it has the advantage over other competing states.

Mr Trpathy said the region had mother petrochemical complex under construction fulfilled most of the criteria needed for the project.

The government, he said was well connected by road, rail and air. The region was served by Paradeep port, upcoming Dhamra port and proposed Astarang port.

A small airport was also planned to be constructed in the region, he said.

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