On 8 February 2006, ONGC signed an MoU with Shell
Bitumen India to formalise the broad terms of manufacturing bituminous products
and marketing, for the refinery to be established in India at East or West
Coast.
The MoU has been signed to carry out a joint
market research to evaluate India's bitumen and Value Added Bitumen (VAB) market
potential over the next ten years and conduct an economic evaluation for the
refinery.
The JV between ONGC and Shell will provide
innovative solutions for building world class roads in India in urban areas, and
will also enhance quality of rural roads.
Currently , MRPL a subsidiary of ONGC, owns and
operates the refinery at Mangalore, with a current listed bitumen production
capacity of 2.5 lakh tpa.
Also see:
Shell-ONGC
plan bitumen refinery in south India (17-Oct-05)