PNGRB issues technical standards for refineries

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has notified technical standards for uniform operation and maintenance (O&M) of refineries and gas processing plants.

India, the world’s third largest energy consumer, is also the fourth biggest refiner and liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer globally. India’s total installed refinery capacity is more than 251 million tonnes (mt).

The standards are important to maintain the security and safety of establishments, considering India handles huge quantities of oil and gas. For instance, in FY22, the country’s production, including imports of crude oil and natural gas, stood at 241.6 million tonnes (MT) and 64.8 billion cubic metres (BCM), respectively.

The technical regulations include 11 schedules covering site selection and layout, design of equipment and storage facilities, Asset Integrity Management System, electrical systems, fire and gas detection and protection facilities, safety management system, competence assessment and assurance, safety audits, road safety, occupational health and industrial hygiene monitoring, and control of work, it added.

These norms will be applicable to all entities engaged in operation of petroleum refineries and gas processing plants, and will primarily focus on safety aspects of the employees, public and associated facilities.

The objective of these regulations is to further strengthen the safety of the refineries and gas processing plants, PNGRB said.

Oil & Gas PSUs have a 5,098 km pipeline network for transport of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and 8.926 MT of LPG was transported through these pipelines in FY22.

Besides, PNGRB has authorised a 33,764 km natural gas pipeline network to create a national gas grid and increase the availability of natural gas. As of September 2022, around 22,306 km of pipeline was operational.

At present, the country has six operational LNG regasification terminals, with a combined capacity of approximately 39.2 mt per annum (MTPA).