BENGALURU: Energy must be supplied in an environmentally responsible manner in a global environment of climate change, petroleum secretary Dr MM Kutty said, while delivering the inaugural address at the Refining and Petrochemicals Technology Meet in Bengaluru on Sunday.Hosted by Mangaluru Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited, the 24th edition of the three-day mega event was themed ‘Driving refining and petrochemicals towards sustenance’ and was attended by 1,500 oil and gas industry delegates from across the world.
Petroleum secretary Dr Kutty stepped in as chief guest when Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who was scheduled to inaugurate the event gave it a miss. “The world is already feeling the impact of climate change. This calls for expanding the supply and availability of energy in a safe, environmentally sustainable, and responsible manner,” Dr Kutty said. He also spoke about investment in the refineries and petrochemical sector, the scope of bio-fuels, alternate energy sources and cleaner energy.
Dr Kutty pushed for investments in India’s petrochemical sector. “Low per capita consumption of petrochemicals in India, currently at 12kg per person/annum, as against the global average of 32 kg per person/annum, makes it an attractive market for investors,” he said. This statement from the Petroleum Secretary comes even as the ambitious West Coast Refinery Project - the largest proposed greenfield refinery in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri - hangs in limbo with the newly sworn-in Maharashtra government adamant on scrapping it.
Over the next three days, industry specialists will hold 15 technical sessions presenting 82 papers on subjects ranging from the industry moving towards a sustainable future to a digital revolution in the field. At least 24 speakers at the session are foreign delegates. The meet also includes 17 exhibition stalls from oil companies, catalyst manufacturers, design and engineering companies, etc, apart from poster presentations from 78 companies including 24 foreign ones.