GAIL commissions key Dabhol LNG terminal
11 Jan 2013 5:47 AM IST
GAIL (India) Ltd successfully commissioned the Dabhol LNG terminal at Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, on Thursday. The terminal will serve as a 'gateway' for entry of natural gas to the southern and western parts of the country, said B C Tripathi, CMD of GAIL which is the owner’s engineer of the LNG regas block of RGPPL.
'This will be the first integrated energy power generation company in the country,' added Tripathi.
He pointed out that that commissioning was done without any external support and despite numerous problems, including replacement of parts over the past nine months.
'Filling is going on and I went on board the ship. Gas supply to the GAIL pipeline has started,' he said. The terminal is operated by RGPPL, a joint venture of GAIL and NTPC as major shareholders, and the remaining equity is held by financial institutions and MSEB. Gail, the commercial operator of the terminal, arranged commissioning cargo for the terminal in December 2012.
Stressing on the vital completion of the breakwater facility, Tripathi said that the terminal’s capacity would be expanded from the present 5 mmtpa to 7.5 mmtpa in two to three years and then to 10 mmtpa in the next three-and half to four years. GAIL is also looking at LNG terminal/ FSRU opportunities along the eastern coast of the country, alongside increasing capacity utilisation of the terminal regas and storage facilities by leveraging the line-pack of ots over 1,000 km cross-country pipeline network, he said.
'We are expecting this terminal to operate 3 mmtpa as we don’t have any breakwater now. But when this breakwater is completed, we can maximise our production in the next two years from 5 mmtpa to 7.5 mmtpa,' he said. The past two and a half years have witnessed investment of Rs 1,000 crore, with the present update being Rs 5,000 crore expenditure so far on the terminal which includes the uncompleted breakwater.
'The current capacity of 5 million tonnes has been already underwritten by GAIL but the terminal definitely needs the breakwater immediately, which we will put on fast track,' he assured, adding that the company, as a commercial operator of the Dabhol terminal, has under-written the re-gas capacity of the terminal for 25 years for lending support to the project. The future will see the regas from the terminal catering to customer demand in Maharashtra through GAIL’s Dabhol-Panvel pipeline connected to the Maharashtra regional pipeline network.
GAIL is also considering the long-term hire of LNG carriers while its team is in the US for enabling of new volumes of gas from that country. “We have 3.5 mmtpa gas on FOB basis and we require six to seven ships for transporting this cargo.'
Replying to questions, he said that the customers in this regard include MSEB, Mahanagar Gas, RCF, steel plants, the ceramic industry, and power and fertiliser plants in Goa. 'We are looking at expansion of the Dabhol terminal and power plant as we have space for the same there.'
'This will be the first integrated energy power generation company in the country,' added Tripathi.
He pointed out that that commissioning was done without any external support and despite numerous problems, including replacement of parts over the past nine months.
'Filling is going on and I went on board the ship. Gas supply to the GAIL pipeline has started,' he said. The terminal is operated by RGPPL, a joint venture of GAIL and NTPC as major shareholders, and the remaining equity is held by financial institutions and MSEB. Gail, the commercial operator of the terminal, arranged commissioning cargo for the terminal in December 2012.
Stressing on the vital completion of the breakwater facility, Tripathi said that the terminal’s capacity would be expanded from the present 5 mmtpa to 7.5 mmtpa in two to three years and then to 10 mmtpa in the next three-and half to four years. GAIL is also looking at LNG terminal/ FSRU opportunities along the eastern coast of the country, alongside increasing capacity utilisation of the terminal regas and storage facilities by leveraging the line-pack of ots over 1,000 km cross-country pipeline network, he said.
'We are expecting this terminal to operate 3 mmtpa as we don’t have any breakwater now. But when this breakwater is completed, we can maximise our production in the next two years from 5 mmtpa to 7.5 mmtpa,' he said. The past two and a half years have witnessed investment of Rs 1,000 crore, with the present update being Rs 5,000 crore expenditure so far on the terminal which includes the uncompleted breakwater.
'The current capacity of 5 million tonnes has been already underwritten by GAIL but the terminal definitely needs the breakwater immediately, which we will put on fast track,' he assured, adding that the company, as a commercial operator of the Dabhol terminal, has under-written the re-gas capacity of the terminal for 25 years for lending support to the project. The future will see the regas from the terminal catering to customer demand in Maharashtra through GAIL’s Dabhol-Panvel pipeline connected to the Maharashtra regional pipeline network.
GAIL is also considering the long-term hire of LNG carriers while its team is in the US for enabling of new volumes of gas from that country. “We have 3.5 mmtpa gas on FOB basis and we require six to seven ships for transporting this cargo.'
Replying to questions, he said that the customers in this regard include MSEB, Mahanagar Gas, RCF, steel plants, the ceramic industry, and power and fertiliser plants in Goa. 'We are looking at expansion of the Dabhol terminal and power plant as we have space for the same there.'
Next Story
