Mangaluru : With the forced shut down of its operations in the wake of water crisis in April-May, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) is mulling over permanent solutions to check the recurrence of crisis again.

MRPL Chairman D K Sarraf told media here on Saturday, “During the board meeting, there were apprehensions over water crisis in the future. The setting up of desalination plant is on the cards. The plant is already getting water from Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC). At the time of further expansion, a study has to be conducted to top up all the sources.”

MPRL Managing Director of H Kumar said MPRL requires 12 MGD of water per day on an average. The requirement is being met with six MGD capacity water (treated) plant at Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Kavur. Its capacity can be maximised by December or January. This apart, MRPL has two MGD capacity treated water plant and also some other sources to meet the requirement of water, he said.

To improve profit margins, MRPL has decided to take up 12 small projects. The first is promotion of aviation turbo fuel (ATF) on domestic front, as it is being exported in a larger quantity, followed by optimisation of refinery stream which is aimed at processing more and more crude oil. Minor changes in key equipment is another project in the making, MRPL Director (Refinery) M Venkatesh said.

Earlier, Sarraf said, “Though small in quantity, the small projects are expected to add value to refinery operations. Further discussions are required, mid-size and big-size projects are also on the cards.” He informed that MRPL recorded profit of Rs 720 crore after provision of tax in the first quarter of Financial performance 2016-17 as against 405 crore during the corresponding previous quarter.

During the board meeting, there was also a demand for improved road connectivity from Surathkal to MRPL and also augmentation of public transport connecting the city.