Page 65 - Plastics News November 2017

IN THE NEWS

Oil explorations in coastal areas may be linked with Sagarmala project

nion petroleum ministry is planning a special package this year, RIL and BP had announced an investment of Rs
Uto promote oil exploration & production (E&P) in 40,000 crore to reserve the flagging production from KG-
coastal areas and link it to the ‘Sagarmala’ project for D6 block, which includes the four satellites and the two
development of coastal parts of India.“It is a major other satellite finds (D29 and D30), R-Series and MJ gas
discoveries.The four fields have 617 billion cubic feet of
reserves and can produce gas for eight years.

BBMP to restart use of plastic

to pave roads

he Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP),
Twhich had stopped using plastic to pave roads
in 2014, will resume the practice, said Palike
commissioner N Manjunath Prasad The decision was
taken during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister
Siddaramaiah, who instructed the BBMP to recycle the
project that will help not only develop the coastal seized plastic, as the municipal corporation is finding
areas but also produce employment. The draft is under it difficult to dispose of it.
preparation and will be soon circulated for inputs,” said
a senior official in the petroleum ministry. The Sagarmala Prasad said that ever since the ban on plastic was
programme aims at leveraging the long coastline and effected, BBMP has seized around 100 tonnes of
natural maritime advantages. It also focuses on promoting plastic and has also levied a fine of Rs 1.63 crore on
port-led development, energising the coastal economy the offenders. BBMP had stopped using plastic in road
and infrastructure development in these areas. Prime construction works after the Ministry of Forest and
Minister Narendra Modi is keen to modernise the ports and Environment (MoEF) stipulated the use of a higher
integrate them with special economic zones, port-based viscosity grade
smart cities, industrial parks, warehouses, logistics parks (VG) bitumen.
and transport corridors along the vast coastline of 7,500 BBM P h a d
km. Dharmendra Pradhan, minister of petroleum and be e n u sin g
natural gas, is likely to discuss the proposed project next VG-10 grade
week in Mumbai with E&P companies, oil & gas service bitumen, as
providers, financial institutions and private equity firms the schedule of
to take a holistic view of financial and allied community rates for VG-30
on the sector.Meanwhile, Reliance Industries and its bitumen had
partner BP Plc plan to invest about $1.5 billion to bring not been prescribed by the Public Works Department.
to production six satellite gas discoveries in the flagging "The PWD however recently included the schedule
KG-D6 block by 2022.The companies had earlier submitted of rates for VG-30 bitumen. Once the government
to the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) a field order is issued, BBMP will start using plastic to pave
development plan for what is known as satellite and other roads," he added. Prasad said that though the cost of
satellite fields, said a senior petroleum ministry official. preparing the asphalt would increase, using plastic
They plan to develop four deep-sea satellite gas finds, would ensure durability of roads. While a tonne of
named D-2, 6, 19 and 22, together with two other nearby bitumen costs Rs 32,000, using plastic (8%) would
finds, D-29 and D30, in the Krishna-Godavari basin block. increase the cost by Rs 2,100 per tonne.Prasad said
In all, 5-6 gas producing wells will be drilled with a peak that over the years, BBMP had used around 3,000
output of 10-12 million standard cubic metres a day. Early tonnes of plastic to build roads.

65 N ovember 2017 Plastics News