Flagship Assam Gas Cracker Project to be ready by July.

The Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL), popularly known as the Assam Gas Cracker Project, is expected to go on-stream from next month. Trial runs have already been initiated in several units of the plant that are complete, BCPL general manager (HR) P K Mati said recently.

'The project is almost complete. Two or three units are left and they will take another 15-20 days to be complete. We expect the project to be commissioned in July,' Mati said.

The petrochemical plant will have an annual production capacity of 2,26,000 tonnes of polyethylene, 60,000 tonnes of polypropylene, 43,024 tonnes of pyrolysis gasoline and 9,728 tonnes of fuel oil.

On April 9, 2007, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone of the project at Lepetkata, 15 km from Dibrugarh town. The initial deadline for completion of the plant was April 2012. The project missed several deadlines and its cost was revised from Rs. 5,460 crore to Rs. 9,285 crore.

The gas cracker project is a joint venture in which GAIL holds equity share of 70%, while OIL, NRL and the state government hold 10% stake each. The Centre has approved a capital subsidy of Rs. 2136 crore and feedstock subsidy of Rs. 908.91 crore for a 15-year period for the project with exemption of excise and income tax for 10 years. GAIL and BCPL have already signed a deal for marketing petrochemical products produced at the plant.


TOI