August 26, 2019 [Tribune India] – Built at Rs 507 crore, it will cater to Himachal Pradesh, Army. Soon, Himachal Pradesh’s entire requirement of petroleum products would be met in the state itself, as Indian Oil Corporation will commission a smart POL (petroleum, oils, and lubricants) terminal at Una having storage capacity of 85,800 kilolitres. Currently, the state’s requirement is catered to by Ambala and Jalandhar depots.

 
Currently, the trial run is being conducted and once operational, the new terminal will prove to be a milestone. The terminal, located nearly 200 km from Shimla, would be strategic storage point for defence to meet annual winter fuel stocking in Leh and Ladakh and en route Pathankot to Srinagar besides for defence posts at Karu, Nima, Upshi and Kyari via Rohtang Pass. Under advance winter stocking, approximately 50,000 kilolitres of petroleum products would be supplied to the Ladakh region when road links open through Rohtang and Zoji La passes.

“We have already set up smart terminal which can be commissioned any time. We are leveraging technology to maximise accuracy at supply points by minimising human intervention,” said Subodh Dakwale, Executive Director, Corporate Communications & Branding, Indian Oil Corporation.

According to officials, in the upcoming terminal, Tank-Truck (TT) filling operation will be fully automated from its entry to exit from the terminal. A centralised automated system takes care of all the core operations, thus enabling manpower to focus only on the critical maintenance and safety-related support and engaging qualitatively with customers. The deployment of technology makes these operations more efficient at reduced costs along with intelligent data reporting.

The company has successfully leveraged automation and technology in some of the existing terminals such as Ambala, Bathinda and Jalandhar. With the adoption of latest technology, the company aims to make all its POL storage locations operate automatically, providing comfort and convenience to all its channel partners.

According to officials, the setting up of terminal will not only reduce the transient time but also the transportation cost for the fuel pump owners. There are around 238 retail outlets in the state managed by Indian Oil Corporation out of total 450 fuel stations.

An overall sales volume of 45,000 kilolitres per annum is expected from the terminal. The total estimated investment will be Rs 507 crore. Currently, the state has two small terminals at Parwanoo and Kullu. Once the Una terminal is operational, the other two terminals will be closed.

During 2018-19, IndianOil had invested heavily in plants and machinery with approximately Rs 505 crore worth of investments in the depots and terminal and LPG for procuring machinery and augmenting plant infrastructure.

 
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