CPC goes for Rs. 7.50 m fuel station upgrade

Hiran H.Senewiratne

FUEL STATIONS: The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) will set up new fuel stations in strategic locations to increase the number of sheds in the country. We have no intention to divest existing fuel stations to any third party as a policy of the new Government," CPC Deputy General Manager Planning and Development Ranjith Wickramasinghe said.

He said the CPC has 100 fuel sheds and 107 treasury owned stations. It also has 530 dealer owned fuel stations apart from Indian IOC stations, he said.

The CPC is exploring possibilities to set up new fuel stations in all strategic locations in the country with a modern outlooks, he said. They were looking for a third party to transfer their existing fuel stations which was suspended following protests from trade union actions after the Presidential elections last year.

The CPC will increase their sheds and dealer owned sheds in the future.

According to CPC sources there were initially two bidders namely Cynopec Petroleum Corporation of China and Bharath Petroleum Corporation of India which suspended their penetrations in the CPC following the trade union action.

Wickramasinghe said that 107 treasury owned fuel stations will go for a major refurbishment programme at a cost of Rs 750 million which will not be disposed at any cost, which they want to keep them under the CPC, he said.

These sheds will be provided with digital dispensing pumps and other modern equipment. The sheds will also be developed to international standards to compete with other stations in the country. Wickramasinghe said that they have already ordered 300 new dispensing pumps from China to be installed in those sheds.

The CPC has also launched face-lift programmes in their fuel sheds as well.

He said that under the Indian IOC agreement they cannot transfer any of their fuel sheds until January 1, 2009.