India will be commissioning 5.33 million tonnes of underground crude oil storages by October to ensure uninterrupted oil supply to the nation for about two months in the case of disruptions in imports from oil producing countries due to geopolitical reasons.
The first strategic oil reserve of 1.33 million tonnes will be ready in Visakhapatnam by February 2015. Two more facilities in Mangalore (1.5 mt) and Padur (2.5 mt) will be ready by October 2015 for which most of the mechanical work has been completed.
Together, the three projects will store crude oil for 13 days. To ensure energy security for 90 days, country will require additional 13.32 mt capacity storages. That will be achieved in the second phase. Four more caverns of 12.5 million tonnes capacity will be built in the second phase, for which the locations that have been identified include Bikaner, Rajkot, Chandikhol and Padur.
