21 June 2018 12:01 am
Ushering a new era for the local construction sector, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) yesterday commenced bitumen production at the country’s sole refinery located in Sapugaskanda.
“With the first phase of production, we are looking at catering to 40 percent of the country’s total bitumen requirement, with a daily output of 150 MT.
Further, with continuous improvements to the refinery’s processing capacities, we are aiming to increase the bitumen production to 225 MT per day, thereby increasing the total supply to 60 percent in the coming months,”
CPC Chairman Dammika Ranatunga said.
During a recent media briefing held in Colombo, Petroleum Resources Development Minister Arjuna Ranatunga noted that given the rapid growth of the local construction sector and the demand for bitumen, CPC re-strategised the operations of the Sapugaskanda refinery, to support the bitumen process. He showed that the ability to introduce bitumen at a competitive rate would positively impact the local construction industry by reducing its cost of raw material.
CPC will also have a greater control over the quality of the product and believes that its fully-fledged laboratory with its skilled professionals will continue to maintain the quality to match international standards. In addition, the bitumen production also enables CPC to up the total diesel output by 15 percent and the furnace oil by 35-40 percent. Bitumen is known to be a crucial component as a binder in asphalt for roads, runways, parking lots and footpaths.
Also, the material is used in countless applications from roofing, waterproofing, sealing and insulating for carpet tile backing, soundproofing, mildew protection, to bind blocks, backing to mirrors, on shoe soles, fence post coating and soil stabilization.