Indian Oil focuses on non-conventional energy
Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, along with the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, has laid the foundation stone of Indian Oil’s Rs.2,282 crore state-of-the-art Technology Development & Deployment Centre as its second R&D Campus at IMT, Sector-67, Faridabad.
The new centre would focus on demonstration & deployment of various technologies developed by IndianOil R&D and will work in tandem with the existing campus at Sector-13, Faridabad.
The research infrastructure at the new campus includes state-of-the-art laboratories and pilot plants in the domains of alternative & renewable energy, e.g., fuel cell, Hydrogen, gasification & solar energy research, semi-commercial nano-material production unit, scale-up/pilot plants in petrochemicals, catalysts, biotechnology, etc.
This new extension of Indian Oil’s R&D Centre is going to focus on non-conventional energy domains besides the conventional ones and will aim at indigenisation of several frontlines and sunrise technologies such as Petrochemicals, Batteries/Energy Storage Devices, Bio-Energy- Greenhouse gas (CO2) capture, Novel nanomaterials for catalysts or fuel cells, Hydrogen production pathways and Fuel cells for both mobility and stationary applications.
Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said, “The R&D Centre of Indian Oil has over the years blossomed into a state-of-the-art research institution for downstream petroleum R&D, focusing on indigenizing technologies and processes to suit Indian conditions.
The R&D centre will be a laboratory for alternative, clean and indigenous energy solutions and is a big step towards realising the goal of making India a self-reliant in the energy sector and fulfilling hon’ble prime Minister’s vision of Aatamnirbhar Bharat, he said.
Expressing gratitude to the Haryana government for its support to the activities of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in the state, he congratulated the Chief Minister for making Haryana a kerosene-free state.
Stressing upon the R&D as a key element of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, he urged the Indian Oil to provide further impetus to waste-to-energy programmes in the state and work towards making the state a global model in alternative energy solutions. A community-based model for segregation of waste to convert it into energy will be a win-win situation for all. He said that the state has huge potential to harness the alternative sources of energy
Expressing gratitude for selecting Haryana for setting up Indinaoil’s new research unit, Khattar said that the state is a front-runner in the not only agriculture sector, but is also developing as a Sports hub and a major player in the automobile sector.
He said that the State played a pro-active role in making it a Kerosene-free state, as it was felt that some unscrupulous elements were using it for adulteration purposes, and hence there was no opposition when it was implemented. The households are being provided with LPG connections.
He assured that the state will definitely move ahead in the LNG and Agro-industry sectors. fiinews.com
