Guwahati (Assam) [India], September 10 (ANI): MC²+ is looking for solutions across the upstream, midstream and downstream segments of the oil and gas sector, as well as in new and alternative energy, with energy security at the centre of the initiative, Oil India Limited Chairman and Managing Director Ranjit Rath said on Thursday.
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the MC²+ IGNITE event at IIT Guwahati, Rath said the ongoing isobutanol challenge was one such effort under the initiative.
“The objective of MC²+ is to find solutions towards our energy security. Isobutanol challenge which is currently on is one step, in a similar manner we are inviting challenges on across upstream, midstream, downstream segments including new and alternative energy,” Rath said.
He also identified compressed biogas and municipal solid waste as areas being considered under the initiative.
“As I have already said, the bioenergy mission for compressed biogas and municipal solid waste which will be the feedstock for natural gas would also be another area,” he said.
Rath said MC²+ has been created under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and brings together oil companies to provide an innovation platform with access to industry problem statements, research and development facilities, incubation opportunities and funding support.
“Our idea is to provide a platform of innovation, of startup with absolutely no limit to the corpus but a nurturing ecosystem where we would provide the problem statements, we would provide the R&D facilities, we would provide all the incubation opportunities to the young talents,” Rath said.
He added that the initiative would encourage young talent to engage with the participating companies to work on problems and efficiency-related solutions.
“We would encourage them to talk to us and we would also reach out to them to provide problems, efficiency solutions and a kind of funding to these young minds to give us more far-reaching, path-breaking technological developments,” he said.
On participation from educational institutions, Rath said MC²+ is a pan-India initiative and is not restricted to any particular institution.
“MC²+ is primarily a pan-India initiative across the oil and gas sector,” he said, adding, “It is agnostic of Educational Institutes, you have to have an idea, we are there to support you.”
Rath also said Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated a co-working space at Numaligarh Refinery Limited’s office in Guwahati during the programme, with 50 co-working spaces available.
He said the initiative was looking to young minds for innovative technological ideas across the energy sector. (ANI)
MC²+ looking for solutions across oil, gas, alternative energy to strengthen energy security: Oil India CMD
