Yennai Hydrocarbon wins in Best SME Social and Environmental Responsibility (Small) category

Safety instructions are the first things visitors get when they enter the quaint little head office of Yennai Hydrocarbon in suburban Mumbai. The lady at the reception, even before asking visitors the purpose of their visit, shows them a map of the office and describes the route they should take to exit in case of an emergency. An emergency advisory on a normal day does seem unusual. "Emergencies and disasters do not come with prior notice," explains Rishi P. Gupta, co-founder of the oilfield services provider. "It is better to be careful than to regret later."

Gupta says working conditions in the oil and gas industry are often hazardous, and hence ensuring staff safety is the company's top priority. Yennai, which provides services such as well testing and data acquisition surveys, is also environmentally conscious. It uses solar power to run a large part of its Barmer campus in Rajasthan, where it has also planted more than 200 trees. "We even use environment-friendly consumables in our equipment," says Gupta.

Yennai, which means oil in Tamil, aspires to quadruple its revenue to Rs 200 crore in five years. At the same time, Gupta wants to empower the people living in and around Barmer by training them in skills required in the oil and gas sector. The company, which was founded in 2006, has given technical training and jobs to about 35 locals so far.

Yennai has also set up an oilfield training centre, where it provides hands-on training at a nominal cost to engineers aspiring for a career in the oil and gas sector. "There is a shortage of trained people in our sector, and we consider it our duty to create a good talent pool," adds Gupta.