Staff Correspondent
DIBRUGARH: The Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited (APL), a State Government undertaking located at Namrup, is a premiere petrochemicals industry of the entire north-eastern region and the first of its kind in India to use natural gas feedstock for producing methanol. It has been in service to the nation since 1976 with glorious performances.
The company started its commercial production of Methanol and Formalin in June 1976 from its two plants of 21 MTPD and 36 MTPD capacities respectively. Keeping in view the availability of NG in the nearby oil fields and national and international demands of Methanol, APL extended its methanol manufacturing capacities by installing a second methanol expansion plant of 100 TPD capacity at Namrup in 1989. After that in 1997, APL commissioned its second expansion plant of 100 TPD and in 2012, APL successfully commissioned its revamped 125 TPD formalin plant which added a new mileage in the field of petro-chemicals industry.
Besides, considering the increasing demand of Methanol, APL has started a mega project of 500 TPD Methanol at Namrup and 200 TPD Formalin Plant at Boitamari of Bongaigaon district with the capital outlay of 1709 crore. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had inaugurated the construction of 500 TPD Methanol Plant at Namrup in the year 2017 and laid the foundation stone of 200 TPD Formalin Plant at Boitamari in the year 2019.
Briefing the background of the public sector industry in detail, APL chairman Bikul Deka at a press conference held recently, stated that the project work of 500 TPD Methanol Plant was well in progress and 96 per cent of the project activities had already been completed and APL was on its final journey to create history in the field of methanol manufacturing by commissioning this dream project. Deka also stated that APL had suffered losses and faced many challenges in project activities caused by the Citizenship (Amendment) Act protest and COVID-19 pandemic but APL had left no stone unturned with respect to the production of its two existing units and ongoing project activities.
On the other hand, Atul Ch Barman, Managing Director of APL, said that APL would start sequential commissioning of the plant from the end of December, 2021. Barman also said that out of the total cost of Rs 1,709 crore, Oil India Limited had contributed Rs 303 crore, Rs 232 crore had been contributed by Assam Government, Rs 50 crore by AIDC, Rs 36 crore by Assam Gas Company while an amount of Rs 1,137 crore was taken as bank loan. Moreover, the APL MD informed about the future use of methanol as fuel in vehicles as M15 fuel. Negating all allegation as reported in a section of the press, chairman Deka said that all allegations were false and baseless.
Before the press meet, the journalists visited APL's ongoing 500 TPD Methanol Project and took stock of the project activities. After the commissioning of 500 TPD Methanol Plant, APL will start a project of Dimethyl ethyl, which will add a new feature in APL's production. Moreover, APL will complete 50 years of glorious journey in 2021 and the commissioning of the dream project in the golden jubilee year will be a great pride for the people of Assam.