State asks districts to restart plants, modify nitrogen plants to generate O2

Pune: To augment the needs of the rising demand for oxygen to treat Covid-19 positives, the state government has asked district collectors to identify the Oxygen Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants which are shut and could be restarted

Pune: To augment the needs of the rising demand for oxygen to treat Covid-19 positives, the state government has asked district collectors to identify the Oxygen Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants which are shut and could be restarted. The state has also asked the districts to identify Nitrogen PSAs which could be modified and used for generating oxygen. Earlier, deputy CM Ajit Pawar has said that the state is identifying the defunct O2 plants which could be restarted.

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Following the central government’s orders, the state has requested district collectors to check PSA plants for oxygen which could be reactivated with slight modification. The state has also asked to find if any of the PSA plant for nitrogen could be modified to generate oxygen in less than a week. Packaging and food processing industry needs nitrogen and there are many PSA plants for nitrogen generation in the districts.

The state in its letter by principal secretary Dr Pradeep Vyas, health department stated, “We are struggling to augment the supplies of oxygen, while we are trying to increase the availability of oxygen by moving quantities from outside the state. We should also explore setting up new PSA oxygen generation plants and re-purposing PSA plants for nitrogen.”

The letter mentions the state is also setting up new O2 PSA plants in various locations through SDRF funds. It says, “It seems that there are several PSA plants for oxygen installed in various parts of our state over the years and are lying unutilised. Recently, one such plant at Satara is now being activated which would generate sufficient oxygen to fill 2400 Jumbo cylinders every day.”

Pawar said, “We are trying to restart oxygen plants which were shut as power supply was cut or because the companies had gone bankrupt. Minister Nitin Gadkari has said he would ensure smooth supply in the Vidarbha region.”

“Some of the PSA plants for nitrogen probably can be re-purposed to generate oxygen with slight modification in very short time. It seems that while a new oxygen generation plant will take 3 to 4 weeks to install, retro fitting existing PSA plants for nitrogen probably can be achieved in less than a week,” stated the letter. Pune is planning to set up 30 new oxygen generation plants in the district and has also received 75 oxygen concentrator plants through CSR.