Edappadi K Palaniswami conducts meeting with Dharmendra Pradhan on jobs

CHENNAI: Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Tuesday conducted a high-level meeting with Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan and urged the minister to generate job opportunities in TN through petroleum companies. Addressing a delegation of oil company captains who accompanied the Union minister during his secretariat visit, Palaniswami urged the oil companies to invest in Tamil Nadu. He also assured the minister and the representatives of the petroleum ministry that the state would extend its cooperation for business promotion through Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation president Sasi Shankar, managing director of Gail P.C. Tripathi was also present at the high-level meeting. Earlier in the day, the Union minister dedicated the residue upgradation project of Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) at Manali. In his address, Mr Pradhan said that CPCL is going to expand its Nagapattinam plant to 10 million metric tonne capacity costing Rs 27,000 crore and this will bring in more employment and economic opportunity to TN.

Referring about the Rs 3,110 crore new residue facility, he said that the new plant will reduce production of fuel oil and increase the percentage of high sulphur crude oil processing in the crude mix, resulting in lesser feed cost. CPCL has moved towards cleaner products. With more monetisation, more LPG, more diesel and use of the leftover pet coke by the adjoining cement industry and other non-polluting business models, the growth is immense, the minister noted.