An important thread on the #Oxygen situation in Tamil Nadu. This information is obtained after speaking to some of the manufacturers including R.Kannan former President of the AIIGMA.
1.Tamil Nadu+Puducherry daily Oxygen production is usually around 420 Metric Tons. #CovidIndia

(Inox 140 MT, Praxair100 MT, National Oxygen Puducherry 40 MT)are among the large producers of O2 in TN/Py. Others are small manufacturers.
2.This 420 MT includes both Industrial and Medical Oxygen.
3.Right now demand has gone up to around 500-520 MT/day. Shortages hv started

4. Increasing capacity of existing plants can be done in two ways. One by getting them to maximize capacity they can add maybe 5% more. By allowing air separator plants to supply 93% O2 instead of 99% O2 as PSA plants are already allowed,may help them add another 10% capacity.

5.Capacity of other Industries to generate O2 has to be assessed.Petrochemical &Steel plants are best bets but how much they can give &how soon has to be checked
6.Shd Sterlite be used to produce O2? Kannan says there may be no other way to meet rising demand on the scale needed

7. #Sterlite plant can produce 1000 MT of Oxygen a day. The entire state currently produces 420 MT per day. So more than double of TN capacity will be available.
8. It will take at least a week to 10 days to restart the O2 plants in Sterlite and give Oxygen.

9. Importantly TN has many engineers outside Vedanta who Govt can hire to run the O2 plant at Sterlite.This means that the O2 plant can be operated without allowing Vedanta inside.Existing O2 companies are apparently willing to give their staff to support TN Govt #Covid #COVID19

10. Oxygen can also be transported via sea in containers from Tuticorin to Chennai and airlifted if required to other places also.
11. There is NO time to waste due to the lead time of 10 days involved in obtaining the oxygen.
12. TN Govt needs to act now to avoid a catastrophe

Talk to existing manufacturers and get staff on hire for a few weeks. Move SC and ask for immediate permission to run the O2 plants in Sterlite. Start a IEC campaign to explain to people that Vedants is not involved in this and that Oxygen is needed to save lives.

15 lives were tragically lost in the shooting at Sterlite. The way to avenge those deaths is NOT by killing thousands more by denying them Oxygen. For those saying there is no Oxygen shortage at all in TN speak to the Hospital heads. @CMOTamilNadu @mkstalin Pls act together NOW.