NELLORE: Andhra Pradesh is set to witness a major industrial development with the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change granting environmental and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearances to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (BPCL) proposed greenfield refinery and petrochemical complex near Ramayapatnam Port.
The ambitious project, involving an estimated investment of `1,03,408 crore, will have a refining capacity of 9 MMTPA and is expected to emerge as one of the major industrial investments in the State.
The Ministry issued the environmental and CRZ clearance order, following an examination of the proposal and recommendations of the Expert Appraisal Committee under the Industrial Projects-2 category.
BPCL refinery to create direct jobs for 1,250 youth
The project will come up across Chevuru and Ravuru villages in Gudlur mandal of Prakasam district and Chennayapalem and Rudrakota villages in Kavali mandal of Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore district.
According to the clearance order, the project requires 5,213 acres (2,109.62 hectares) of land, entirely classified as non-forest land. BPCL has already taken possession of 3,764 acres, while the remaining 1,449 acres, comprising 1,404 acres of private land and 45 acres of government land, was scheduled to be acquired through the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) by October 31, 2026.
Of the total project area, approximately 1,564 acres (632.90 hectares), accounting for 30 per cent, will be developed as greenbelt within the refinery and petrochemical complex. The environmental clearance mandates the plantation of at least 2,500 trees per hectare, predominantly using indigenous species, with at least 20 varieties of trees.
The project is expected to generate substantial employment during both construction and operational phases.
According to the Ministry’s assessment, around 400 direct and 13,600 indirect jobs will be created during construction. Once operational, the facility is expected to provide employment to 1,250 people directly and another 3,750 indirectly.
BPCL has earmarked `3,033 crore towards capital expenditure on environmental management measures, besides an annual recurring expenditure of `32.50 crore. An additional `54 crore has been allocated under the Extended Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for development activities in surrounding villages by 2030.
