Kerala’s turnaround into oxygen surplus State in two years

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Till two years ago, Kerala used to depend on its neighbouring States for its regular supply of liquid oxygen for medical purposes. Its transformation into an oxygen surplus State be

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Till two years ago, Kerala used to depend on its neighbouring States for its regular supply of liquid oxygen for medical purposes. Its transformation into an oxygen surplus State began with the setting up of oxygen plants in the public and private sectors over the past two years and the steps taken by the Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation (PESO) over the past year to augment capacity and plug leakages. On March 23 last year, the PESO nodal officer convened a meeting of the liquid oxygen manufacturers on the issues that are anticipated with the spread of COVID-19. They were also to provide daily reports on the production and storage status. Hospitals were asked to ensure that their systems are maintained properly arresting any leakages. At present, Kerala has a production capacity of 204 tonnes per day of liquid oxygen. Inox Air products, a private sector company set up at Palakkad in 2019, produces 147 tonnes a day. The public sector Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML) set up a plant in September 2020, producing 7 tonnes per day. The Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited plant produces 0.322 tonnes a day, while the Cochin Shipyard produces 5.45 tonnes a day. The 11 Air Separation Units (ASU) across the State produces 44 tonnes a day.