New Delhi: The Indian Oil board has given its go-ahead for the implementation of an Integrated Para-Xylene (PX) and Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) complex project at Paradip, Odisha, at an estimated investment of Rs 13,805 crore at the board meeting held on Friday. The PX-PTA complex shall be integrated with Indian Oil’s Paradip Refinery, which is operational since 2015.
Speaking on the occasion, SM Vaidya, Chairman, Indian Oil, said, “This plant, along with the upcoming MEG (Mono-Ethylene Glycol) plant of 357-KTA (kilo tonnes per annum) capacity at Paradip, would be a ready source of feedstock for Indian Oil’s upcoming 300-KTA textile yarn manufacturing project at Bhadrak in Odisha, and can similarly facilitate other textile and polyester projects in the region. We are sure that these investments, along with investments in other downstream projects, will boost entrepreneurship not only in Odisha but in the entire Eastern India that would contribute to the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ vision of our nation.”
PX/PTA project to be completed by early 2024
The PX/PTA project will be completed by early 2024. The petrochemicals complex will have a PX production capacity of 800,000 tonnes per annum, which would be the feedstock for production of PTA. The production capacity of PTA would be 1,200,000 tonnes per annum. PTA is the raw material for the production of polyester along with MEG. Indian Oil’s MEG production facility is already under implementation at Paradip and will become operational towards the end of 2021.
The availability of both PTA and MEG at Paradip will give a boost to polyester manufacturing facilities in the vicinity. Also, 50,000 tonnes per annum of Toluene will be produced. With the commissioning of both PTA and MEG projects, the Petrochemical Intensity Index of Paradip Refinery will increase to 14.7 from the present level of 4.5.
What is PTA?
PTA is a major raw material for manufacture of polyester fibre/yarn, PET bottles and polyester film used in packaging applications. PTA and MEG combined are the main feedstocks for polyester manufacture. The Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) of Paradip, Odisha, will have both these feedstocks of world-class quality available under one roof.
The availability of Toluene, an important chemical used to produce Toluene Di-isocyanate (TDI), Chloro-Toluene, Nitro-Toluene and Cresols, would be an added advantage. Toluene Di-isocyanate is the basic material for the production of flexible polyurethane foams, adhesives, synthetic leathers and coatings, etc.
The backdrop
Indian Oil has already commissioned a world-class Polypropylene (PP) plant of 680,000 tonnes per year capacity at a cost of Rs. 3,150 crore in Feb 2019. The downstream polymer industry utilises PP to manufacture both commodity products like cement and fertiliser bags, packaging film, household furniture, etc., as well as niche products like containers for food storage, medical applications and so on.
Thus the complete ecosystem of bulk petrochemicals would now be available in the PCPIR, which would catapult Odisha’s petrochemicals industry to global standards, further attracting large investments in the downstream industry and leading to generation of substantial economic benefits and employment opportunities in the region.
The PX-PTA project is estimated to generate approximately five million man-days of employment over the three-year construction period with direct and indirect employment opportunities for more than 2,000 technically skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled manpower in the various areas of operations, maintenance of units and logistics for handling the product value chain.
