The underground crude storage facility in Visakhapatnam, being built by Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd. (ISPRL), is getting ready for commissioning later this year, according to authorities.

This is one of the three underground rock caverns built by ISPRL to store crude with an investment of Rs. 1,178 crore. "After successful trials, we are awaiting the arrival of crude to commission the cavern built here at Lova Gardens," ISPRL Chief Executive and Managing Director Rajan Pillai said.

ISPRL, a special purpose vehicle wholly-owned by the Oil Industry Development Board, is on the verge of completing two other caverns at Mangaluru and Padur (Udupi) at a cost of Rs. 1,227 crore and Rs. 1,693 crore, respectively. The three caverns will have a total capacity to store 5.03 million tones (mt).