Paradip refinery to be ready by December.

The construction of oil refinery at Paradip by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) is expected to get completed by the end of this year, said Union minister for petroleum and natural gas, Dharmendra Pradhan.

'The Paradip refinery will be able to start commercial production by around December this year,' he said.

Pradhan recently reviewed the progress of the oil refinery work in the presence of Odisha industry minister, Debi Prasad Mishra and IOCL officials at New Delhi. The foundation stone for the project was laid in 2000 by former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

IOCL's Paradip refinery work has been delayed because of various hurdles including slump in the oil market, land and labour problems, delay in commissioning of the captive power plant and protests over laying of water pipelines from Mahanadi to the plant site.

BS