ONGC R&D, Engineers India to Set Up Helium Recovery Demo Plant

• ONGC partners with Engineers India Ltd to set up a ₹39.42 cr plant in Tamil Nadu
• Will reduce helium imports and support tech industries
• Processes 750 Nm³/hr, flexible up to 110% capacity, completing in 18 months

ONGC Energy Center Trust, the research and development arm of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC), announced recently that a contract had been secured with Engineers India Ltd to set up a Helium Recovery Demonstration Plant in Tamil Nadu.

The contract value is ₹39.42 crore plus applicable GST covers the plant to be setup at ONGC's Kuthalam Gas Collection Station, located in the Cauvery Asset, Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu.

The company stated, "This project, based on the technology package developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Petroleum, seeks to recover Grade-A Helium of 99.995 per cent purity from natural gas".

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Helium is an important resource with applications in areas such as space exploration, semiconductor manufacturing, cryogenics, and fiber optics; currently, India imports helium to meet domestic demand, which means that the development of this country's homegrown helium recovery is strategically important to India's technological progress and energy security.

ONGC’s planned demonstration plant is an important step to build domestic capabilities in high value gases. This facility will be able to process the equivalent of 750 Nm³/hr of natural gas, with the option to run at up to 110% of its design capacity. It is anticipated that the project will be completed in 18 months.

This initiative complements the government policy of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' that enhances energy security and technology security, by producing high-value gases in India. Through the collaboration, ONGC Energy Centre Trust and Engineers India Ltd., will bring their technical competencies together to execute India’s first helium recovery project, from cutting edge research to deployable industrial technology. The plant will help reduce reliance on imported helium and enhance India’s domestic capacity to service and supply expanded utilization of advanced technological sectors.