Bhubaneswar: Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday wrote separate letters to CM Mohan Charan Majhi and Union petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri, urging them to fast-track the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) project at Chandikhol, stressing its significance amid the ongoing West Asia crisis.The Union cabinet approved the Chandikhol SPR project on June 27, 2018. Later, on April 8, 2025, an MoU was signed between EPICL, the Odisha govt and Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited to advance the project. With an investment of around Rs 8,743 crore, “the project is expected to strengthen the country’s energy security and boost economic activity,” he wrote. It will create over 5,000 direct and indirect jobs and extend India’s crude oil supply by an additional seven days.In view of the current global situation, especially the conflict in West Asia and geopolitical instability, Pradhan flagged the need to bolster the nation’s energy preparedness. He requested Puri and Majhi to take measures for swift completion and operationalisation of the 4-million-metric-tonne SPR facility at Chandikhol in Jajpur district.Recalling that although the Centre had approved the project in 2018 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he as then oil minister had written to then Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, the project did not progress. Subsequently, on April 8, 2025, an MoU was signed in New Delhi among EPICL, the Odisha govt and ISPRL in the presence of Puri, Majhi and Pradhan.The Rs 8,743-crore facility will be the world’s largest underground crude oil storage structure and is projected to generate more than 5,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities. India currently has a 9.5-day crude reserve capacity; once commissioned, the Chandikhol SPR will add 7.12 days of buffer stock.Officials said the project will significantly contribute to Odisha’s GDP and catalyse sectors such as transport, hospitality and construction. During global price volatility or supply disruptions, the reserve will act as a strategic cushion. It is also expected to position Odisha as a key driver of industrial and economic growth in eastern India and support the Prime Minister’s ‘Mission Purvodaya’ vision, boosting both national energy security and the economy.
