US to provide technical assistance to HPCL

NEW DELHI: The US has extended a grant to Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) to adopt world class inspection and maintenance practices at its refinery in Mumbai.

HPCL and US Trade Development Agency (USTDA) signed a Grant Agreement under which technical assistance will be provided for the proposed HCPL Asset Integrity Management Project.

The agreement was signed during the visit of Undersecretary in the US Department of Energy Clarence Albright.

"Basically, it reflects HPCL's need and desire to upgrade inspection practices which are based on advanced inspection technologies that relate to maintenance of refinery, safety practices and also protection of the key process units in the refinery," Henry Steingass, Regional Director (South and Southeast Asia) USTDA told reporters here.

Altogether, this is known as Asset Integrity Management in the refinery industry that is beginning to be adopted in some refineries in India and becoming a standard in the industry worldwide.

The two countries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in gas hydrates which, among other things, would facilitate the establishment of Gas Hydrate Technology Center in India.

The Working Groups established under the India-US Energy Dialogue on oil and natural gas, coal, power and energy and new and renewable energy met between March 31 and April three.