The quality of the bitumen being supplied is becoming as important as the quantities required and the logistics involved, according to the presentations at the Asian Bitumen Conference
India to lead the pack in bitumen consumption - Partha Pratim Basistha reports from the Asian Bitumen Conference
In the emerging global bitumen market, demand is expected to reach 122 million tonnes by 2018. Increasing road construction activities in the fast growing markets of India and China will be the main growth drivers of the bitumen market in Asia. This was the message delivered at the 10th Asian Bitumen Conference held in New Delhi, India from 23rd-24th November 2015.
The two-day event, organised by Conference Connection and supported by the Indian Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas attracted strong participation from Indian road contractors, bitumen producers, traders and key bitumen industry experts and speakers from India, US, Iran, UAE, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. The speakers discussed in detail the latest market trends and technical developments in the bitumen industry and offered insights about the new challenges and opportunities offered by India and other emerging Asian bitumen markets.
Delivering the inaugural address, Dharmendra Pradhan, the Indian Minister of State, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas said, “India commands a road infrastructure of 3.3 million km, the second largest road network in the world, after the USA. Out of the total network, India’s National Highway network comprises 100,000km of State highways, while village and district roads occupy 2.8 million km. The National Highways cover 2% of the total network and carry the maximum share of freight and passenger traffic making them India’s lifeline. The government has kept the development of roads at a high priority, allocating more than 10% of total spending from 2012-17 to the road sector. The investments would be for setting up new networks and rehabilitating existing road networks. In such a scenario, bitumen will play a vital role towards planning and execution of road construction projects in India. Based on the projected demand from upcoming projects, India’s bitumen consumption will outpace production in the coming years.”
He said, “It is commendable, that to ensure longevity to road projects, Indian refiners have begun producing viscosity grade, polymer modified bitumen, emulsifiers and other value added bitumen.” However, the minister insisted, “Owing to diverse climatic conditions, it requires better understanding of bitumen supply and demand in the country by the Indian and foreign refiners and traders.”
In his welcome address, CEO, Hotcrete Infrastructure India Pvt, Ravikanth Reddy said, "During 2014-2015, total bitumen sales in India were 4.8 million tonnes. Based on the ambitious road development plan of the government, there will be an increase in demand of bitumen in India. Presently, 90% of India’s road requirement of bitumen is met by the local oil refiners while the rest is imported.”
Speaking at the conference, RK Pandey, Member Projects, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) said, “There are colossal business opportunities for bitumen producers and suppliers in India, based on numerous road development projects being undertaken by NHAI under the prestigious National Highway Development Programme (NHDP) to strengthen India’s existing National Highway network handling the fast growing traffic on its two-lane and six-lane express ways.
In the emerging global bitumen market, demand is expected to reach 122 million tonnes by 2018. Increasing road construction activities in the fast growing markets of India and China will be the main growth drivers of the bitumen market in Asia. This was the message delivered at the 10th Asian Bitumen Conference held in New Delhi, India from 23rd-24th November 2015.
The two-day event, organised by Conference Connection and supported by the Indian Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas attracted strong participation from Indian road contractors, bitumen producers, traders and key bitumen industry experts and speakers from India, US, Iran, UAE, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. The speakers discussed in detail the latest market trends and technical developments in the bitumen industry and offered insights about the new challenges and opportunities offered by India and other emerging Asian bitumen markets.
Delivering the inaugural address, Dharmendra Pradhan, the Indian Minister of State, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas said, “India commands a road infrastructure of 3.3 million km, the second largest road network in the world, after the USA. Out of the total network, India’s National Highway network comprises 100,000km of State highways, while village and district roads occupy 2.8 million km. The National Highways cover 2% of the total network and carry the maximum share of freight and passenger traffic making them India’s lifeline. The government has kept the development of roads at a high priority, allocating more than 10% of total spending from 2012-17 to the road sector. The investments would be for setting up new networks and rehabilitating existing road networks. In such a scenario, bitumen will play a vital role towards planning and execution of road construction projects in India. Based on the projected demand from upcoming projects, India’s bitumen consumption will outpace production in the coming years.”
He said, “It is commendable, that to ensure longevity to road projects, Indian refiners have begun producing viscosity grade, polymer modified bitumen, emulsifiers and other value added bitumen.” However, the minister insisted, “Owing to diverse climatic conditions, it requires better understanding of bitumen supply and demand in the country by the Indian and foreign refiners and traders.”
In his welcome address, CEO, Hotcrete Infrastructure India Pvt, Ravikanth Reddy said, "During 2014-2015, total bitumen sales in India were 4.8 million tonnes. Based on the ambitious road development plan of the government, there will be an increase in demand of bitumen in India. Presently, 90% of India’s road requirement of bitumen is met by the local oil refiners while the rest is imported.”
Speaking at the conference, RK Pandey, Member Projects, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) said, “There are colossal business opportunities for bitumen producers and suppliers in India, based on numerous road development projects being undertaken by NHAI under the prestigious National Highway Development Programme (NHDP) to strengthen India’s existing National Highway network handling the fast growing traffic on its two-lane and six-lane express ways.
