The Sterlite Copper Plant in Thoothukudi commissioned an oxygen cylinder bottling plant at an investment outlay of ₹11 crore on Thursday.
According to a press release, the new facility can produce 400 medical-grade oxygen cylinders per day. A senior official at the site said that with the support of overseas technology providers, they were able to implement the processes at a quick pace to capture gaseous oxygen as well.
Following a Supreme Court directive, Sterlite had been given permission only to produce oxygen from its plant after the company gave an undertaking to produce and distribute it free of cost from its Thoothukudi facility.
On May 12, the plant started operating, but the following day, due to a technical snag, the production had to be suspended for a week. Since May 19, the company had been producing oxygen and supplying it to many southern district government hospitals. The second plant too has also started generating oxygen. About 500 MT had been distributed so far, the official added.
