Oil PSUs to set up seven medical oxygen plants in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: Union Steel minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday said that oil PSUs are in the process of setting up Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) medical oxygen generation plants at 93 locations across the country including seven in Odisha to facilitate captive oxygen generation facilities at hospitals for supply of medical-grade oxygen. 

He said the PSUs under the Ministry and private companies in the steel sector have ramped up production of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) to supplement the Centre's effort to supply oxygen to hospitals across the country. With 33 oxygen plants (both CPSEs and private sector), the total daily medical oxygen production capacity of steel plants is 2,834 tonnes. 

The production of LMO was 3,474 tonne on April 24, 2021. The minister said said that this is higher than the LMO production capacity because most units have reduced the production of Nitrogen and Argon and are only producing LMO.

About 2,894 tonnes were dispatched to different states on Saturday by the steel sector as against 1500/1700 tonnes per day a week earlier. Steel plants are also filling oxygen cylinders and supplying to the States and hospitals. 

The national steel major SAIL has been enhancing LMO supply from its steel plants at Bhilai, Bokaro, Rourkela, Durgapur and Burnpur from August, 2020. The total supply till Saturday was 39,647 tonnes, Pradhan said.  As far as RINL Vizag Steel Plant is concerned, he said, it had supplied 8842 tonnes of LMO.