A committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has granted permission to Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) to prepare the Terms of Reference (ToR) for its proposed nine MTPA greenfield Refinery and Petrochemical Complex at Chevuru Village, Gudlur Mandal, in Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh.

The project, with an estimated cost of Rs 1.03 trillion and a completion schedule of 42 months, is expected to generate employment for 3,400 people during construction (400 permanent, 3,000 temporary) and create 3,750 work roles during operations (1,250 permanent, 2,500 temporary). The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) found BPCL’s compliance satisfactory and recommended specific ToRs, along with a public hearing.

The project will require 2,109.62 hectares of land, with 703.34 hectares (33.3 percent) allocated for greenbelt development. Power demand will be 600 MW, with 100 MW sourced from a captive plant and the balance from the State Grid. No protected wildlife areas lie within a 10 km radius; however, the Bay of Bengal (three km east) and Buckingham Canal (50 m east) lie close to the site.