AHMEDABAD: Rosneft-backed Nayara Energy’s (formerly known as Essar Oil) plans for expansion of the existing refinery and setting up a new petrochemical complex at Vadinar near Jamnagar seems to have hit a hurdle after some villagers alleged that the company did not follow due process to get environmental clearance.
Nayara Energy’s expansion plan includes setting up a 10.75 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) capacity petrochemical complex and expansion of the refinery from 20 MMTPA to 46 MMTPA for a total investment of about Rs 1.3 lakh crore.
A clutch of people from villages including Gagva, Khavdi, Meghpar, Padana, Jakhar, Vadinar, Timbdi, Devadiya and Lakhiya objected to grant of clearance by the Ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) on the grounds that a public hearing was not held, said Dilipsinh Jadeja who filed a petition in the Gujarat high court. He is a resident of a village near the Nayara’s project.
The environment appraisal committee (EAC) under MoEFCC deferred the matter after it was approached by the company for environmental clearance, according to an interim order passed by the high court recently. The court order cites the statement of the senior counsel of the respondent which says that the expert appraisal committee is to convene a meeting between February 25 to February 27 but has deferred grant of environment clearance for Nayara’s expansion plans.
Jadeja said that the company’s plans for expansion in Jamnagar was earlier on the agenda of the EAC for February 26 but now stands deferred.
In August last year, a public consultation was held over grant of environmental clearance to Nayara’s proposed expansion plans. Local villagers and others to be affected by the project were required to send responses in writing to Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) member secretary till August 5. GPCB forwarded the responses to the MoEFCC for consideration of grant of EC, a government source said. This was perhaps the first time that GPCB chose the public consultation route instead of a public hearing, sources added.
“There are legal guidelines that needs to be adhered to while granting environmental clearance. These rules have been grossly violated in this case. Such projects always require public hearing and it can’t be through public consultation,” said Jadeja.
In August 2017, a Rosneft-led consortium acquired Essar Oil for $12.9 billion and it was later renamed Nayara Energy.
“Environmental clearance for the Vadinar project was valid till 2018. However, the proposed expansion was not carried out in the stipulated time-frame by the earlier promoters. The new promoters have decided to scale down the project. Also, no additional land was required for the expansion, hence the public consultation route was chosen by GPCB,” said a government official in the know of the matter.
Nayara Energy’s expansion plan includes setting up a 10.75 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) capacity petrochemical complex and expansion of the refinery from 20 MMTPA to 46 MMTPA for a total investment of about Rs 1.3 lakh crore.
A clutch of people from villages including Gagva, Khavdi, Meghpar, Padana, Jakhar, Vadinar, Timbdi, Devadiya and Lakhiya objected to grant of clearance by the Ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) on the grounds that a public hearing was not held, said Dilipsinh Jadeja who filed a petition in the Gujarat high court. He is a resident of a village near the Nayara’s project.
The environment appraisal committee (EAC) under MoEFCC deferred the matter after it was approached by the company for environmental clearance, according to an interim order passed by the high court recently. The court order cites the statement of the senior counsel of the respondent which says that the expert appraisal committee is to convene a meeting between February 25 to February 27 but has deferred grant of environment clearance for Nayara’s expansion plans.
Jadeja said that the company’s plans for expansion in Jamnagar was earlier on the agenda of the EAC for February 26 but now stands deferred.
In August last year, a public consultation was held over grant of environmental clearance to Nayara’s proposed expansion plans. Local villagers and others to be affected by the project were required to send responses in writing to Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) member secretary till August 5. GPCB forwarded the responses to the MoEFCC for consideration of grant of EC, a government source said. This was perhaps the first time that GPCB chose the public consultation route instead of a public hearing, sources added.
“There are legal guidelines that needs to be adhered to while granting environmental clearance. These rules have been grossly violated in this case. Such projects always require public hearing and it can’t be through public consultation,” said Jadeja.
In August 2017, a Rosneft-led consortium acquired Essar Oil for $12.9 billion and it was later renamed Nayara Energy.
“Environmental clearance for the Vadinar project was valid till 2018. However, the proposed expansion was not carried out in the stipulated time-frame by the earlier promoters. The new promoters have decided to scale down the project. Also, no additional land was required for the expansion, hence the public consultation route was chosen by GPCB,” said a government official in the know of the matter.
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