IIPE gears up for permanent campus near Vizag

Visakhapatnam: The Indian Institute Petroleum Energy (IIPE), one of the premier educational institutes sanctioned for Andhra Pradesh along with Indian Institute of Management by the government of India, will soon launch construction for its permanent building in Sabbavaram mandal of Anakapalle district.

Both IIPE and IIM are established in AP following a promise made by the Centre at the time of bifurcation. IIPE is presently operating from its temporary campus situated at the Andhra University College of Engineering. IIPE has been allotted the land to an extent of 201 acres and 80 cents by the Andhra Pradesh government, free of cost at Vangali village near here.

"All pending land issues have been cleared and the construction activities will be initiated shortly," Prof P K Banik, president, Board of Governors, Prof Shalivahan, Director, Prof Deepak Amban Mishra, Associate Dean (Academic Affairs & Administration) and Dr B Muralikrishna, Registrar (I/c) of IIPE, told the media here on Monday. IPE is organising its second convocation here on September 7. IIPE is co-promoted as an energy domain specific institute by the leading oil PSUs namely HPCL, ONGC, OIL, GAIL and IOCL.

Hemalatha Annamalai, founder and Vice-Chair, Green Collar Agritech Solutions Pvt Ltd and founder and former CEO, Ampere Vehicles Pvt Ltd will be delivering the convocation address.

In the convocation, 87 students (45 students from petroleum engineering and 42 students from chemical engineering will be awarded with degrees. Two students from each branch are going to receive the gold and silver medal for their academic excellence.

IIPE was set up by the government of India under the aegis of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, in 2016 in accordance with the provisions of Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014. Initially, the institute was registered under the Andhra Pradesh Societies Registration Act, 2001 and subsequently, the IIPE Bill 2017 was enacted by the Parliament.

The main objective of establishing IIPE is to meet the quantitative and qualitative gap and supply of skilled manpower for petroleum and energy sectors and to boost research activities needed for growth of sectors. Also, considering the rapid innovations and developments of new technology in the energy sector and other emerging areas like shale gas, coal bed methane, gas hydrates, renewal energy and gas, the IIPE is expected to keep pace with the new developments.