Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 2

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a detailed review meeting with senior officials to augment oxygen availability and also discussed conversion of existing nitrogen plants to produce the life-saving gas. The Centre has identified more than two dozen nitrogen generation plants for production of medical oxygen.

“In order to ramp up oxygen supplies, the government is working on converting nitrogen plants into oxygen plants. Potential industries where current nitrogen plants could be spared, are being identified and converted,” the Prime Minister tweeted after the review meeting. Government officials said the process of converting the existing Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) nitrogen plants for production of oxygen was discussed in the meeting. The government, in an official statement, said, “Many industries like steel plants, refineries with petrochemical units, industries using rich combustion process and power plants have oxygen plants which produce gaseous oxygen. This oxygen can be tapped for medical use.”

It further said the strategy being used “is to identify industrial units which produce gaseous oxygen of requisite purity, shortlist those, which are closer to cities/dense areas/demand centres and establish temporary Covid care centres with oxygenated beds near that source”.

Around 10,000 oxygenated beds are expected to be made available shortly by making temporary hospitals near such plants, the government said.

“A pilot project for five such facilities has already been started and the progress is good. This is being accomplished through PSUs and private industries operating the plant,” the government said.

The PM was told that around 1,500 PSA plants are in the process of being set up with the help of PM CARES, PSUs and others. He directed the officials to ensure speedy completion of these plants. So far, 14 industries have been identified. — Agencies

Delhi receives second Oxygen Express

• The second ‘Oxygen Express’ for Delhi arrived on Sunday with 120 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen and a third such train has begun its journey for the national capital from Angul in Odisha, the Ministry of Railways said in an official statement.
• The train from Angul is carrying 30.86 tonnes of oxygen, it said. The Railways has delivered 1,094 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen in 74 tankers to various states since April 19. TNS

Efforts on to ramp up supplies

• A nitrogen plant modified for the production of oxygen can be either shifted to a nearby hospital or, in case it is not feasible to shift the plant, it can be used for on-site production of oxygen, which can be be transported to hospital through specialised vessels or cylinders.
• The CPCB, which has a comprehensive data base of industrial units, to identify the industries having spare nitrogen plants and explore the feasibility of converting existing nitrogen plants to produce oxygen.
• The CPCB with the help of the State Pollution Control Boards has identified such potential industries, wherein existing nitrogen generation plants may be spared for production of oxygen.