India Inc. stepped ahead in the government’s battle against the pandemic, after an unprecedented increase in Covid-19 cases and a severe shortage of medical oxygen pushed hospitals across the country to breaking point.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) created a Task Force on Oxygen Supply Chain on Tuesday, to work with the central and state governments to supply oxygen, by focusing on domestic capacity enhancement and imports, as well as logistical issues such as transportation, cylinder shortages, and policy-level interventions.
Companies such as Tata Group, Reliance Industries Limited, JSW Group, Adani, ITC, and Jindal Steel & Power have stepped forward to provide medical oxygen, cryogenic vessels, portable concentrators, and generators to hospitals treating Covid-19 patients.
Oxygen supply must be increased urgently, and logistical challenges in transporting oxygen throughout the country must be addressed. It’s encouraging to see industry step up in such a big way to help the cause, and provide solutions in a limited amount of time using all available resources. The most significant bottleneck is a scarcity of cryogenic containers.
By the end of the month, Tatas would have imported 36 cryogenic vessels. “Tata Steel also supplies over 600 MT of medical oxygen to hospitals from its plants,” said T V Narendran, CII’s President Designate. JSW Steel is currently supplying 1000 tonnes per day and intends to increase this capacity. In April 2021, the company expects to supply over 20,000 tonnes of liquid oxygen from all of its plants in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
Seshagiri Rao M.V.S., Chairman, CII Task Force on Oxygen Supply Chain and Joint Managing Director and Group CFO, JSW Steel Ltd, said, “Efforts are being made across the country to raise oxygen supplies from steel plants. The Indian government has already issued a tender for the import of 50,000 MT of liquid oxygen. The Task Force has made many important recommendations to the government, including using direct vessels to import liquid oxygen, eliminating logistical bottlenecks, reducing transit times, ensuring quick clearances and transportation to destinations through green corridors, and increasing capacity to generate additional oxygen using the supercritical method. The Taskforce has also suggested that the government pursue G2G mechanisms for having help in the current health emergency with friendly countries.”
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) also exports liquid medical oxygen to Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Daman, Diu, and Nagar Haveli at a rate of over 700 MT per day. ITC is also airlifting 24 Cryogenic ISO Containers, each with a 20-tonne volume. It’s even looking at importing a large number of oxygen concentrators and generators, to help with delivery. ITC’s Bhadrachalam Paperboards unit has already started supplying oxygen to government hospitals in the state.
Saudi Arabia is supplying Adani Group with four ISO cryogenic tanks containing 80 MT liquid oxygen. Gujarat receives 220 MT of liquid oxygen per day from ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India. Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. currently supplies 80 to 100 MT per day to various states, with the potential to increase to 150 MT per day, if the lifting capacity is increased.
Under the aegis of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), commercial vehicle manufacturers are sensitising and alerting the eco-system in order to ensure the quickest turnaround time for vehicles carrying oxygen. In this case, technologies such as track and trace and/or connected vehicles are used. All necessary assistance and help is also being provided to maintain these vehicles on the road and going. Many large corporations, including like Vedanta, Jubilant Ingrevia Ltd, and others, are continuing to look for ways to help solve the country’s oxygen shortage.
