Vedanta has stated that oxygen plants in the closed Sterlite copper smelter can be used to meet the medical oxygen demand used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
CNBC-TV18 made the offer by Sterlite Copper CEO Pankaj Kumar in a letter to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.
Kumar said the Sterlite plant at Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu has two oxygen plants with a combined production capacity of more than 1,000 tonnes of oxygen per day.
“We want to offer these facilities for your use, to ensure that there is no shortage of this viral commodity in the country,” he said in the letter.
CNBC-TV18 reported that Vedanta has also written to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami seeking permission to run Sterlite Copper’s oxygen plant.
Vedanta has also filed a petition in the Supreme Court in this regard, as his permission to operate the plant is sub-judicial.
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Many companies have begun to stop the supply of oxygen from their plants in various states to hospitals, as the spike in COVID-19 cases has led to a shortage of medical oxygen.
The Center has banned the supply of oxygen for industrial purposes since April 22, excluding nine specified industries.
