(TH)
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has rubbished criticism by the TDP and other parties over alleged negligence of Andhra Pradesh, and said an investment of over ₹1.65 lakh crore is being made to produce gas of 50 million cubic metres per day from the Krishna Godavri (KG) basin, set up petrochemical complex at Kakinada, and double the capacity of the HPCL Visakh Refinery.
After visiting the KG basin near Kakinada and the LPG cavern facility here, he told The Hindu in an exclusive interview that Andhra Pradesh had a special place in the heart of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and they were fully committed to implementing all the promises made in the A.P. Reorganisation Act, 2014.‘Only to gain cheap mileage, some parties are making an issue out of nothing,” he said.
Petrochemical complex
Stating that Sunrise A.P. was attracting an investment of ₹60,000 crore from the ONGC in the K-G basin. Reliance Industries Ltd-BP joint venture was committed to investing ₹40,000 crore. “According to conservative estimates, gas of at least 50 million cubic metres per day will be produced by 2022,” he said.
Mr. Pradhan said, as per the promise made in the Act, they would set up a petrochemical complex at Kakinada with an investment of ₹43,000 crore. The Visakh Refinery of HPCL was undergoing capacity expansion from 8.3 million tonne to 15 million tonne at a cost of over ₹20,000 crore, he added.
