Puma Energy expands bitumen terminal capacity in India

Puma Energy has expanded its network in the Indian subcontinent after it opened a new bitumen terminal in Chennai, India in late March.

The new terminal, located at the southern Indian port of Katupalli, can process up to 40,000 t/yr of bitumen.

The terminal is producing VG grade bitumen and plans to "focus on the domestic market initially, with volumes dependent on supply and demand", said an official spokesperson.

The terminal has been operational since August last year, with the official opening in March 2021.

The opening of the bitumen terminal comes at a time when infrastructure remains a focus for the Indian government, with another 19,500km of road and highway projects planned in its 2021-22 fiscal year budget.

Indian bitumen demand is projected to hit 7.2mn t in the 2021-22 financial year, which runs from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022. But the country is in the midst of a severe second wave of the pandemic, which has slowed bitumen consumption for the current month and could chip away some of the projections for annual consumption.

Bitumen produced from the new terminal will be supplied for projects funded by city municipal corporations in Hyderabad and Chennai. It will also supply to the Tamil Nadu Public Works Department for the broader projects within the state.

By Regina Koh