The Tripathi committee appointed by the Rajasthan government to study future prospects of oil and gas sector in the state has recommended a 4.5 to 6 MT refinery in Barmer.
"The committee headed by former Petroleum Secretary S C Tripathi today presented the report to the state Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot recommending a 4.5 to 6 MT refinery in the initial stage which can later be expanded to 9 to 12 MT," an official spokesperson said. The report, 'The Utilization of Hydrocarbon Resource in Rajasthan with Special Emphasis to Rajasthan Refinery Project', said during last five years the country's refining capacity has expanded considerably and there is uncertainty about prices of crude and refinery products.
Higher percentage of residue in Barmer crude requires higher capacity of conversion units which increases capital as well as operating costs.
"Because of these factors, the state government should consider supporting the promoter of refinery in Barmer," the report said, suggesting the government to market tie-up with oil marketing companies and equity participation to the extent of 26 per cent of the project.
"The Committee studied the anticipated production profile of Cairn/ONCG (Barmer Block). The earlier estimate made by Cairn India was 480 MT crude oil which has now been increased to 900 MT, while 3-6 billion cubic meter gas is also available in the Barmer block," the spokesperson said.
According to the report, 25 MT of heavy oil and 53 MT of bitumen have been assessed in Bikaner-Nagaur basin while state's lignite resources have been assessed at 4,909.9 MT in 46 locations.
The gas fields can be joined through a network of pipelines to the trunk pipelines and storage facility can be developed to support national grid, the report said.
The six-member committee constituted on August 19, 2009, discussed hydrocarbon prospects with representatives of ONGC, Cairn India, HPCL, IOC and visited Barmer from February 4 to 8 this year to study various aspects relating to refinery.
