Assam Gas Cracker may go on stream by June 2015

The much-awaited Assam Gas Cracker project, being set up by Brahmaputra Crackers and Polymers Limited (BCPL) at Lepetkata, Dibrugarh (Assam), is expected to go on stream in June 2015, with Ananth Kumar, the Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers, urging all the stakeholders involved to fast-track the project work.
 
In this respect, Ananth Kumar recently held a meeting to review the progress of implementation of Assam Gas Cracker project with the heads of implementing agencies namely Gail Ltd, Oil India Ltd, Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), Government of Assam, Engineers India Limited (EIL) and BHEL.
 
Taking serious note of the delay in the completion of the project, Kumar directed all concerned to achieve the mechanical completion of the project by November 2014 and commissioning by June 2015. The project has achieved an overall physical progress of 97.8% so far.
 
Assam Gas Cracker project, the first ever petrochemical project in entire North East India, is expected to generate scope for substantial investments in setting up of downstream plastic processing industries. The project came as a part of the historic Assam Accord signed in August 1985. Following the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in April 2006, a joint venture company, Brahmaputra Crackers and Polymers, was incorporated in January 2007 to implement the project.
 
Gail is the main promoter of BCPL having 70% stake, while the rest 30% is equally shared by Oil India, Numaligarh Refinery and Government of Assam. Engineers India Limited is the engineering and project management consultant for the Assam Gas Cracker project, the construction work for which began in April 2007.
 
The principal end products of the project, which will use natural gas and naphtha as feedstock, will be high density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) totalling 2,20,000 tonnes per annum (TPA) and 60,000 TPA of polypropylene (PP). The other products include raw pyrolysis gasoline and fuel oil.
 
Various ranges of polymers, manufactured by Brahmaputra Crackers and Polymers, can be used in different applications in sectors such as packaging film, roto, injection, raffia, and blow moulding. This, in turn, is expected to boost the supply of different end use products like water storage tanks, household items, house-wares, crates, buckets and packaging materials, woven sacks for packaging of fertilisers and cement, containers for edible oil and chemicals in the North Eastern states. These products would be marketed with assistance from Gail, which has a wide marketing network in the country and has approximately 21 per cent share in domestic polyethylene market.