551 medical oxygen plants to be set up across India.

The Centre recently moved in with a fresh set of measures aimed at immediately increasing medical oxygen supply by over 20%, while seeking to set up 551 dedicated medical oxygen generation plants inside public health facilities across district headquarters, using funds from PM-Cares.

PM Narendra Modi has ordered that the facilities be made operational at the earliest. The 551 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) units are in addition to the 162 announced earlier, for which over 200 crore was sanctioned. For immediate enhancement of oxygen supply for treating Covid-19 patients, industries have been ordered to restrict the use of liquid oxygen, including existing stock, and divert it for medical purposes.

Steel units step up liquid O 2 supply

This move is expected to add around 1,500 tonnes to the daily supply, which was estimated around 6,600 tonnes recently, government sources said.Steel units and oil refineries have already stepped up supply of liquid oxygen produced at their plants and the move will not impact their manufacturing or refining operations, industry sources said.

Steel plants, for instance, require gaseous oxygen and set up captive units to produce the gas along with nitrogen and argon. These plants can produce 5-6% liquid oxygen at their peak capacity. Liquid oxygen is a highly pure product compared to industrial oxygen.

The Centre has asked states and Union territories to allow all manufacturing units to maximise their production of liquid oxygen and make it available to the government for medical purposes.

Plants can only optimise liquid oxygen production by sacrificing some gaseous oxygen and optimise process parameters, the steel ministry said.

ET