Coronavirus: Experts to visit Pakistan Steel Mills oxygen production plant today

• A team of experts will visit the Pakistan Steel Mills today to assess the situation.
• The technical committee include representatives from the Engineering Development Board and the Pakistan Army.
• Raza Rabbani has demanded the government reactivate the PSM oxygen plant.

ISLAMABAD: Amid concerns over possible oxygen shortage in the country due to the COVID-19 surge, the Ministry of Industries and Production has decided to assess the gas production plant at the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) and see whether it can be revived to meet the demand.

According to Geo News sources, a delegation of technical experts will visit the PSM today and explore the possibilities.

The technical committee includes representatives from the Engineering Development Board and the Pakistan Army, the sources said.

The PSM plant has the capacity to produce 15,200 cubic metre gas per hour.

Experts believe that it will not be necessary to activate the main plant of steel mills to run the oxygen plant. In addition, manufacturing of cylinders is also possible at the PSM if needed.

Rabbani asks to make plant functional

Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani has demanded the government reactivate the PSM oxygen plant which was shut down in 2015 and to reinstate 40 engineers of the plant to make it functional.

“The majority of the 40 engineers and workers, working at the oxygen plant, were removed, they should be immediately reinstated so that the plant can be made functional within one week on a war footing,” he said.

He said if this plant is operationalised immediately, it can meet the oxygen demand of the entire country and can ease the pressure on hospitals that are asking for more oxygen supply.

He said the oxygen plant of the steel mills has a capacity to produce 520 tons of pure oxygen daily.

Rabbani said the failure of the federal government in tackling the COVID-19 crisis has led to one spike after another.