As the nation fights the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, multinational conglomerate Reliance Industries is now India’s biggest medical-grade oxygen provider from a single location. The company recently announced that it has ramped up the supply of medical-grade liquid oxygen to 1,000 MT per day.

Reliance Industries, headed by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, has increased oxygen production from nearly-nil to 1,000 Metric Tonnes per day to now contribute approximately 11% of the country’s demand. According to the company it will be meeting the needs of more than 1 lakh people every day.

In its statement the company said, “RIL ramps up production of medical-grade liquid oxygen from near zero to 1000 MT per day free of charge. (It is producing) 1000 MT of oxygen to meet the needs of over 1 lakh people every day on an average.”

The company’s statement also stated how Reliance does not traditionally manufacture medical-grade liquid oxygen. It however stared from nil and now is the largest producer of this essential resource.

“Traditionally, Reliance is not a manufacturer of medical-grade liquid oxygen. Yet, starting from nil before the pandemic, Reliance has now become India’s largest producer of this life-saving resource from a single location,” the statement said.

It’s the chairman of the company Mukesh Ambani himself who’s overseeing the ramp up of oxygen and its transportation. The oxygen is being produced at RIL’s Jamnagar plant. As of today, the company’s refinery plant in Jamnagar is not only the nation’s biggest, but also the world’s third largest.

It should be noted that the company has supplied over 55,000 MT of liquid oxygen across its multiple plants from the country since March 2020. Back in April this year, it was reported that the company also helped as many as 15 lakh patients by supplying over 15,000 MT of oxygen for free.

Moreover, the company has also brought to India as many as 24 ISO (Intermodal container) container from different countries such as Saudi Arabia, Germany, Thailand, Belgium, etc, which added another 500 Tonnes of oxygen in India.

The company in its statement today said how it went for a 2-pronged plan to increase its oxygen production.

“Refocusing several industrial processes at Reliance’s Jamnagar and other facilities for rapid scale-up in production of medical-grade liquid oxygen.”

And,

“Augmenting loading and transportation capacities to ensure its swift and safe supply to states and union territories across India.”

The company’s refineries in Jamnagar produce industrial oxygen as part of certain processes. Later, this industrial oxygen is scrubbed and converted into medical grade oxygen. Additionally, the company also made the decision to convert its nitrogen tankers to be filled up with the medical grade oxygen and then be transported to several parts of the country.

Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and MD of Reliance Industries commented on the company’s work saying, “For me and all of us at Reliance, nothing is more important than saving every life as India battles against a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Meanwhile, Nita Ambani, wife of Mukesh Ambani and the Chairperson of Reliance Foundation issued a statement saying, “Our country is going through an unprecedented crisis. We at Reliance Foundation will continue to do everything we can to help. Every life is precious. Our plants at our Jamnagar refinery have been repurposed overnight to produce medical grade liquid oxygen that is being distributed across India. Our thoughts and prayers are with our fellow countrymen and women. Together, we will overcome these difficult times.”

So far, several other companies have joined forces and have come together to help India through this unprecedented crisis. JSW or Jindal South West, which is the nation’s biggest steel maker was reported to have completely stopped some of the raw material construction to divert resources that can be used to produce liquid oxygen.

According to reports, the company supplied almost 898 Tonnes of oxygen from April 21-23. This was as much as 13% of the daily demand of India’s 20-badly hit states that need 6,786 Tonnes of oxygen. The company also announced that it will be setting up COVID-19 patient centres near its plants so that the oxygen can be serviced through a pipeline.

Another conglomerate known for its philanthropic effort; Tata Group, has also joined ranks with these companies to help the nation. The salt-to-software conglomerate was reported to have imported 24 cryogenic containers used to transport liquid oxygen. It had also announced that its other subsidiary Tata Steel has increased its oxygen supply.

 

Also Read: Reliance Foundation and Nita Ambani to set up 1,000 bed COVID-care hospital in Jamnagar