A committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has granted permission to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to prepare terms of reference (ToR) for its proposed 9 million metric tons per annum (MMTPA) Greenfield Refinery and Petrochemical Complex in Andhra Pradesh.

According to the minutes of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) meeting held on 29 August, the project is estimated to cost Rs 1.03 billion with a planned completion timeline of 42 months.

The project is expected to generate a total of 3,400 jobs during the construction phase, comprising 400 permanent and 3,000 temporary roles, and 3,750 jobs in the operational phase, including 1,250 permanent and 2,500 temporary positions.

BPCL plans to establish the plant at Chevuru Village, Gudlur Mandal, in Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh. The EAC noted that the compliance status and justification were satisfactory. After deliberations, the committee recommended prescribing specific ToRs along with a public hearing in the district, to facilitate a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Management Plan (EMP), in addition to the standard guidelines applicable to such projects.

The EAC directed BPCL to conduct a public hearing and submit a report containing the proceedings, attendance sheets, action plans addressing concerns raised, budget allocations, and timelines, among other details.

The total land requirement for the project is 2,109.62 hectares, with no forest land acquisition involved. Of this, 703.34 hectares, or 33.3 per cent of the area, will be developed as a greenbelt within the complex.

The proposed refinery and petrochemical complex will require 600 MW of power, with 100 MW generated through an in-house captive power plant and the remaining 500 MW supplied by the State Grid.

There are no National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Biosphere Reserves, or Tiger/Elephant Reserves within 10 km of the project site. The Bay of Bengal lies 3 km east, while Buckingham Canal runs 50 metres east of the refinery, the EAC noted.