HPCL plans to open 4 more auto LPG outlets

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Visakhapatnam region marketing office, is planning to set up four more auto LPG outlets by the end of this fiscal.

"We are at present operating one auto LPG outlet at the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant area. The auto LPG sales are quite encouraging with the outlet selling 45,000 litres of gas per month. Hence, we are in the process of opening four more auto LPG stations in the region by this fiscal end," Sushanta Dhar, senior regional manager (retail), HPCL, told Business Standard.

Of the four auto LPG stations, two will come up in the Vizag city limits while the other two will come up in Rajahmundry, he said.

"Our refinery is in Visakhapatnam and so there won't be shortage of LPG at any moment of time in this area. Initially, we are planning to open these outlets in city limits. We will set up auto LPG stations on national highways at a later stage," he added.

Dhar said that the existing HPCL dealers are evincing interest in setting up of auto LPG filling facilities in the city limits, but the corporation is not encouraging them due to stringent safety norms.

"By using LPG, vehicle owners can save about 30 per cent in fuel expenses as compared to petrol by making an initial investment of about Rs 15,000-20,000," he said

HPCL's Visakhapatnam region office, which covers five coastal districts from Srikakulam to West Godavari, is confident of keeping up its last year's marketshare in the area. HPCL sold 47,000 kilo litres of petrol and 1.70 lakh kilo litres of diesel through retails outlets in the five coastal districts and captured a marketshare of 31 per cent last fiscal.

"Now that several new players are entering the market and are opening outlets in this region, we are trying to at least retain our last year's marketshare. As part of this, we are opening a few more fuel outlets across the five coastal districts," Dhar said.