The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and the Gulf company, Almotahedoon Petroleum Refinery (APR or the company), have agreed to establish an oil refinery in the Khushal Garh area of the Kohat district. The provincial government will acquire the required land with the condition that APR, being a private company, will pay 25% charges instead of 15% for the land acquisition under the Land Acquisition Act. A formal agreement on this account will be signed later.
The decision was made in a meeting between the provincial government and an official of the foreign company held at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa house, Islamabad with Chief Minister, Pervez Khattak, in the chair.
The company agreed to fulfil the prerequisite conditions presented by Chief Minister Khattak for acquiring land for the refinery, and agreed to place the local population in all employment opportunities that the proposed refinery offers. A local level consumption of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) will be allowed for the local people, which will be covered by legislation or a formal agreement.
APR has also ensured it will take over one of the technical education institute’s in the area and will begin the execution of the project as soon as they have organised the land acquisition.
The Chief Minister, on this occasion, has welcomed the project and directed the provincial revenue authorities to draft the land agreement in regard to the conditions both parties agreed upon.
The allocation of the quota by the federal government was one of the pre-conditions of the KP government for permitting any company to install an oil refinery in the southern districts of the province. While the provincial government had rejected many proposals, presented by many companies, all were rejected as they lacked what APR had been awarded; the quota from the federal government.
Sources: Pakistan Today, The News, The Nation, The Express Tribune
Edited from various sources by Francesca Brindle
Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/refining/14122015/new-oil-refinery-for-kohat-pakistan-1951/
