THRISSUR: With the shutdown of Inox Air Products plant at Palakkad, the major hub of oxygen production in the state due to technical glitches, Kerala stares at a crisis in the availability of required medical oxygen cylinders for Covid patients. Considering the situation, Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd (KMML), Chavara, has decided to allocate seven tonnes of liquefied oxygen daily for medical purposes from Monday.
The oxygen plants across the state will convert its supply to medical oxygen and hand over to medical colleges and Covid First-Line Treatment Centres (CFLTCs). KMML’s 70 tonne per day new oxygen plant was commissioned last week. With the current capacity, KMML plant will be able to produce 63 tonne oxygen, 70 tonne nitrogen, seven tonnes of liquefied oxygen and nitrogen daily.
Inox plant, the sole liquid oxygen plant in the state, will be under maintenance till Tuesday. The public sector enterprise swung into action following the request of R Venugopal, Deputy Chief Controller of Explosives, Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation.
“Though we have around 400 tonnes in stock, these measures will help us to avert an emergency situation as the Covid cases are on the rise in the state. Earlier, BPCL Kochi refinery had started supplying liquid medical oxygen from their air products plant. So far, the refinery has supplied 8.80 tonnes of oxygen to the hospitals. As KMML also ventures into the sector, we will soon become self-sufficient in producing medical oxygen,” he said.