EIL Eyes Nuclear Expansion & Overseas Growth

New Delhi, Feb 13 (PTI) State-owned Engineers India Ltd is looking to foray into nuclear projects as an extension of its extensive work in the hydrocarbon arena, and more business in the overseas market particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, its chairman Vartika Shukla said.

EIL is an engineering consultancy and project management company that has worked on projects in the oil and gas and petrochemical sectors.

The firm is now in talks to foray into nuclear energy, both conventional projects and small modular reactors, she said on the sidelines of the India Energy Week.

"It (nuclear) is a difficult sector to enter. We did (some work on) the Kudankulam (nuclear) plant. We are doing some small work for the Gorakhpur plant of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. We have made some little inroads and want to do more work," Shukla said.

EIL wants to focus on design, engineering and PMC services in the nuclear sector as well, she added.

The move comes as India looks to build SMRs, which are advanced nuclear reactors with a capacity of up to 300 MW per unit. Suppliers and developers in countries such as the United States and France are being tapped for this.

Shukla said EIL is looking at more business in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The company is already doing business in the UAE and now is entering Saudi Arabia.

"We have been empanelled by Saudi Aramco and hope to get some engineering work soon," she said, adding the company has been empanelled for all sectors including oil refining, petrochemicals and exploration and production (E&P).

EIL secured Rs 190 crore order from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) this financial year. This is on top of Rs 140 crore orders it previously had, she said.

The state-owned firm earlier this week also signed a MoU with global energy giant BP plc to work on their projects across the hydrocarbon value chain.

"It will give the company's services a global flavour," Shukla said EIL is constructing a mega LPG storage facility for Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) in Mangalore, Karnataka.

The Rs 850-900 crore project that will have a capacity to store up to 80,000 tonnes of LPG, is likely to be operational by the second quarter of FY26.

It is also conducting a feasibility study for building an oil storage facility in salt caverns in and around Bikaner in Rajasthan.

To achieve its net zero carbon emission target, EIL is also looking at the acquisition of some renewable energy projects and exploring equity investments in technology startups focused on energy solutions.