Bhubaneswar: Stressing the need for strengthening India’s energy security in the light of disruption in oil supply chains amid West Asia crisis, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the work on the proposed strategic petroleum reserve in Odisha should commence soon.
He said the proposed strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) project to be set up at Chandikhole in Odisha’s Jajpur district would play a significant role in bolstering both national energy resilience and Odisha’s economic growth.
“The entire world is now going through a complex situation. Especially in the Middle East region, the ongoing war and geopolitical instability have created a major threat to the global economy,” the Union Education Minister said.
Dharmendra, a former Petroleum Minister, noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had foreseen such risks years ago, leading to the decision to expand India’s strategic petroleum reserves.
Stating that the Union Cabinet had decided to build a four million metric tonne strategic petroleum reserve in Chandikhole, he said the implementation of that project was delayed due to several reasons and it failed to make progress during the previous BJD government in the state.
A breakthrough came in April 2025, when the BJP government in Odisha facilitated a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IPICOL, the state government, and Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL). The MoU was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, he said.
“Considering the current situation, if we start work on building the strategic petroleum reserve soon, it will be a big step in the country’s oil reserves for the security of the country,” the Union Minister told media.
The Union Minister said that the Chandikhole SPR project, with an estimated investment of Rs 8,743 crore, will be the world’s largest underground crude oil storage facility. It is expected to create over 5,000 direct and indirect jobs, boost ancillary industries, and strengthen Paradip’s role as a petroleum hub.
