Reliance Industries' (RIL) Sikka port expansion project, located in Jamnagar, Gujarat, is facing hurdles in getting environment clearance from the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC).

The EAC on Infrastructure Development and Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) has asked RIL to submit additional material to determine the impact of the proposed project on the environment, eco-sensitive zones, and marine life.

The statutory committee has asked the environment ministry to make clear whether RIL needs a separate clearance from an authority regulating activities in coastal areas. The port expansion will be done in various phases. As part of its Jamnagar Phase-III expansion, RIL has plans to add some additional facilities to its existing marine facility.

The additional facilities include a jetty with three berths for liquid material like petroleum, petrochemical, and chemical products; another jetty for handling imported solid material like petcoke required for gasification units; capital and maintenance dredging in the jetty area; and captive augmentation for existing seawater intake and marine outfall system.

Though the government of Gujarat has provided a letter of recommendation for granting clearance under the CRZ rules, the EAC has raised some grave concerns related to environment impact, based on the environment impact assessment report prepared by  the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).

As per the EAC, since the project is located in the immediate area surrounding marine national park and sanctuary, capital and maintenance dredging work could have serious impact on the park and marine life. The EAC panel has also asked RIL to get unequivocal clarification from the wildlife board.