The views were expressed on the second day of the National Conference on Energy Resources of North East India.
The general manager (petrochemicals), Gas Authority of India Ltd, J.S. Saini, said there was significant scope of petrochemicals in the region and the Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Ltd (BCPL) gas cracker project would go a long way in fulfilling the need.
The petrochemical complex at Lepetkata in Dibrugarh district will comprise ethylene cracker unit, downstream polymer and integrated off-site/utilities plants.
According to Saini, though per capita consumption of polymers in the region is at present negligible, once the BCPL begins commercial operations, awareness is expected to be generated in the region and per capita consumption of polymers is expected to go up. Saini said the annual growth rate of petrochemical industry is 10 per cent in the country but the domestic market is still in deficit.
The national conference was organised by Synergy for Energy, Challenges and Opportunities in North East, a common platform constituted by leading energy sector companies operating in the region.
The director of the Centre for High Technology, B.D. Ghosh, spoke on the need for energy conservation in the refineries as energy is the single largest operating expenses of a refinery. He said increased processing of poor quality crude oil and meeting stringent quality production is increasing the energy demand.
According to him, refineries which came up in the ’50s, ’60s and the ’70s have left a legacy of imperfectly matched process which has led to high energy costs. “Excess capacity in refineries in the Northeast is also leading to higher energy consumption,” Ghosh said.
The general manager of IOCL, A. Pandian, spoke on the overall status of refineries in the Northeast and the constraints they face.